Policies Public-facing policies
Public Accountability Policy
Allows communities to see civic activity without exposing private complainants or creating unfair pressure campaigns.
- Version
- 0.1.0
- Effective
- May 20, 2026
- Last reviewed
- May 20, 2026
- Review cycle
- every 6 months
- Master Policy Index entry
- §4 #28
Policy text
Communities benefit from seeing whether their municipality is responding to civic reports; communities also suffer when civic reporting becomes a public pressure campaign against named individuals. The Public Accountability Policy threads that needle: aggregate municipal performance is public, individual complainants are not.
It applies to Map.ca civic surfaces, to municipal partners, and to neighbourhood accounts. Aggregate civic dashboards may show categories, geographies, and resolution times; they may not show identifying details about complainants or accused individuals.
Principles this policy enforces
- Civic reporting must be useful without becoming a public shaming system
- Public data and personal data are not the same thing
- Community benefit must survive scale
What it requires
- Show municipal performance at aggregate, category, and geography level.
- Hide identifying details of complainants and accused individuals.
What it forbids
- Do not let aggregate dashboards become re-identification surfaces.
- Do not let public accountability become public shaming.
How it applies
- Map.ca civic surface teams
- Municipal partners
- Neighbourhood and community accounts
References
- Map.ca Policy Constitution §2 principle 7 — Civic reporting must be useful without becoming a public shaming system
Related policies
Civic Pin Policy
What can be reported as a Civic Pin, who can report it, how it displays, and how it routes to municipalities.
Civic Safety and Abuse Policy
Prevents Civic Pins from becoming tools for harassment, doxxing, false accusations, neighbour disputes, or public shaming.
Civic Data Sharing Policy
Defines what civic data can be shared with municipalities, what is public, what is private, and what requires consent.