1. Purpose

This policy establishes the rules, standards, and ethical expectations for developers and institutions using PakPedia’s Open APIs. The goal is to enable safe, responsible, and transparent access to verified civic, legal, and geographic data while protecting platform integrity and public trust.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all individuals and organizations using PakPedia APIs, including:

• Developers
• Educational institutions
• NGOs
• Research teams
• Civic-tech projects
• Media organizations
• Public agencies accessing non-sensitive datasets

PakPedia APIs must never be used for political, commercial, or manipulative purposes.

3. API Access Overview

PakPedia’s Open APIs provide structured access to:

• District profiles
• Administrative divisions
• Police jurisdiction data
• Civic procedures
• Legal reference summaries
• Public office information
• Non-sensitive open-data tables

APIs never expose personal information or sensitive datasets.

4. Registration & Authentication

4.1 API Keys

Users may be required to register for an API key. Keys must:

• Be kept secure
• Not be shared publicly
• Not be embedded in client-side code without restrictions

4.2 Usage Identity

Institutions must register with accurate contact details when requesting large-volume access.

5. Permitted Uses

APIs may be used for:

5.1 Educational Apps

• Classroom tools
• Civic-learning software
• Course material development

5.2 Research Projects

• Academic analysis
• Policy studies
• Geographic visualization

5.3 Public-Interest Civic Platforms

• Governance information portals
• Local service guides
• Open-data dashboards

5.4 Media & Journalism

• Fact-checking
• Explanatory reporting
• District-based analysis

All use must maintain factual neutrality and accurate citation.

6. Prohibited Uses

API data may not be used for:

• Political campaigning or influence
• Automated political profiling
• Commercial resale or monetization
• Manipulation of civic or legal information
• Fake district boundaries or modified legal text
• Security testing or exploitation
• Creating competing or misleading legal databases
• Generating personalized behavioral profiles

PakPedia reserves the right to revoke access for misuse.

7. Data Accuracy & Attribution

7.1 Required Attribution

All API usage must clearly state:

Source: PakPedia (https://pakpedia.org/)

7.2 Accuracy Obligations

API consumers must:

• Avoid modifying civic or legal meaning
• Preserve original context
• Confirm administrative data before publishing derivative works

Modified datasets must be labeled as such.

8. Rate Limits & Usage Controls

PakPedia may enforce:

• Rate limits
• Quotas
• Access tiers for high-volume usage
• Restrictions on bulk downloads

These limits prevent overload and protect system availability.

9. Data Integrity Requirements

API users must not:

• Inject false data
• Submit harmful content
• Attempt to write or alter platform information
• Circumvent verification workflows

All civic data updates must follow the Civic Data Submission Policy.

10. Security Requirements

10.1 Safe Use Only

Developers must protect API keys and ensure secure integration.

10.2 No Probing

API endpoints must not be used for:

• Penetration testing
• Scalability stress tests
• Unauthorized scraping
• Enumeration attacks

10.3 Responsible Disclosure

Security concerns must be reported via the Responsible Disclosure Policy, not tested irresponsibly.

11. Privacy Protection

PakPedia APIs:

• Do not include personal data of individuals
• Must not be used to infer personal identities
• Must not be combined with external datasets to attempt deanonymization

Privacy violations result in immediate access termination.

12. Availability & Stability

PakPedia does not guarantee:

• 24/7 uptime
• Uninterrupted service
• Backwards compatibility for all endpoints

Major changes are announced in advance when possible.

13. Termination of API Access

Access may be revoked for:

• Policy violations
• Abuse or misuse
• Security risks
• Attempted manipulation of civic or legal meaning
• Excessive unapproved usage

Severe violations may be escalated under security policies.

14. Updates to the API

PakPedia may:

• Add new endpoints
• Remove outdated datasets
• Improve structure
• Correct data
• Deprecate unstable features

Changes are documented in version history.

15. Legal Compliance

Users must comply with:

• Pakistani law
• International digital ethics standards
• Data protection expectations
• Civic neutrality guidelines

PakPedia APIs must not be used to violate rights, spread misinformation, or interfere with public institutions.