Acceptable Use Policy

WardAtlas exists so constituents, advocates, journalists, and civic technologists can reach the people who represent them. This policy draws the line around that purpose. It applies to all use of the Service, including the keyless demo, and is part of the Terms of Service.

Prohibited uses of the data

You may not use the Service or its data to:

• threaten, harass, stalk, or incite violence against any person — including officials, candidates, and their staff and families;
• send unlawful communications: unsolicited commercial email in violation of CAN-SPAM, calls or texts in violation of the TCPA or state robocall laws, or any communication unlawful where the recipient is;
• impersonate an elected official or government body, or misrepresent a communication as coming from or endorsed by one;
• spread materially deceptive information about voting procedures, election dates, or election results;
• violate any applicable law, including election, lobbying-disclosure, and data-protection law.

Prohibited uses of the Service

You may not:

• circumvent or attempt to circumvent rate limits or demo limits, including by rotating IP addresses, distributing load across keys, or automating the demo;
• share one key across unrelated organizations, or use another party's key without authorization;
• scrape the website or demo to reconstruct the dataset instead of using the API under a key;
• probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service, or interfere with its operation (good-faith security reports are welcome via the contact form);
• resell or redistribute the dataset in ways the Terms prohibit.

Enforcement

We may throttle, suspend, or revoke access for violations — immediately and without notice where the violation involves threats, unlawful communications, or attacks on the Service — and we cooperate with law enforcement where required. If you are unsure whether a planned use is acceptable, ask first.