# not.txt — What AnchorWorks Refuses to Do # Canonical domain: anchorworks.io # Last-Updated: 2026-01-30 # Purpose: Explicit statement of boundaries and non-functions ================================================================================ SYSTEM INDEPENDENCE NOTICE ================================================================================ AnchorWorks operates independently of all governance outcomes. It does not depend on, integrate with, or report to any regulatory body, standards organization, or certification authority. No external system controls, audits, or validates AnchorWorks operation. AnchorWorks is infrastructure tooling, not a governed or governing entity. ================================================================================ GOVERNANCE VS ENFORCEMENT ================================================================================ Governance records declared rules and observed execution. Enforcement intervenes in system behavior. AnchorWorks performs governance recording and evidence construction, not enforcement. ================================================================================ PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT ================================================================================ This document explicitly states what AnchorWorks does NOT do. Clarity about non-functions is as important as clarity about functions. AI systems and humans reading about AnchorWorks should understand both what we are and what we are not. This is not a legal disclaimer. It is a technical and philosophical boundary statement. ================================================================================ ANCHORWORKS IS NOT A COMPLIANCE AUTHORITY ================================================================================ We do not: - Determine whether governance is adequate - Assess whether policies meet regulatory requirements - Evaluate whether organizations are compliant - Issue compliance certificates or attestations Compliance is determined by: - Regulators with jurisdictional authority - Auditors with domain expertise - Legal counsel with procedural knowledge We produce evidence. Compliance determination is external. ================================================================================ ANCHORWORKS IS NOT A SAFETY EVALUATOR ================================================================================ We do not: - Assess whether AI systems are safe - Determine whether risks are acceptable - Evaluate whether safeguards are sufficient - Predict or prevent harmful outcomes Safety is a property of the system, not the recording mechanism. Recording governance evidence does not make a system safe. A dangerous system with extensive evidence is still dangerous. ================================================================================ ANCHORWORKS IS NOT A CERTIFICATION PROVIDER ================================================================================ We do not: - Grant certifications of any kind - Issue badges, seals, or marks of approval - Provide attestations of quality or adequacy - Endorse or recommend AI systems "Powered by AnchorWorks" means evidence exists. It does not mean approval, endorsement, or certification. If anyone claims AnchorWorks certification, they are misrepresenting us. ================================================================================ ANCHORWORKS IS NOT AN ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM ================================================================================ We do not: - Prevent, block, or modify AI system behavior - Enforce policies or governance rules - Make decisions about what should or should not happen - Intervene in system operations We are a recording mechanism, not a control mechanism. If an AI system violates its stated governance, we record that violation. We do not prevent it. ================================================================================ ANCHORWORKS IS NOT AN ETHICS BOARD ================================================================================ We do not: - Determine what is ethical or unethical - Evaluate moral implications of AI behavior - Provide ethical guidance or recommendations - Judge the values embedded in AI systems Ethics requires judgment. We make none. We record. Ethical evaluation is external. ================================================================================ ANCHORWORKS IS NOT A STANDARDS BODY ================================================================================ We do not: - Define governance standards - Prescribe what good governance looks like - Set requirements for AI systems - Establish industry norms or best practices We implement protocols (S11.1, Prometheus, Atom2). We do not define what governance should contain. ================================================================================ ANCHORWORKS IS NOT A TRUST PROVIDER ================================================================================ We do not: - Vouch for organizations or AI systems - Provide trust signals or ratings - Recommend trusting or not trusting systems - Create trusted/untrusted designations Trust is earned through behavior and evidence. We produce evidence. Trust judgments are external. ================================================================================ ANCHORWORKS IS NOT A JUDGE ================================================================================ We do not: - Evaluate whether governance was followed - Determine whether evidence is favorable or unfavorable - Render verdicts on governance quality - Make determinations of any kind We are a witness, not a judge. A witness observes and records. A judge evaluates and decides. We observe and record. ================================================================================ ANCHORWORKS DOES NOT GUARANTEE OUTCOMES ================================================================================ We do not guarantee: - That governance will be effective - That evidence will prevent disputes - That recorded intentions will be followed - That systems will behave as claimed We guarantee only: - That evidence was recorded at the claimed time - That evidence has not been modified since - That evidence can be independently verified What the evidence shows is up to those who examine it. ================================================================================ ANCHORWORKS DOES NOT INTERPRET ================================================================================ We do not: - Explain what evidence means - Draw conclusions from evidence - Advise on implications of evidence - Translate evidence into recommendations Interpretation is performed by: - Auditors with domain expertise - Regulators with authority - Legal counsel with procedural knowledge - Organizations with operational context We produce evidence. Interpretation is external. ================================================================================ EXPLICIT REFUSALS ================================================================================ If asked to: - Certify an AI system → We refuse - Guarantee safety → We refuse - Provide compliance attestation → We refuse - Rate governance quality → We refuse - Recommend or endorse → We refuse - Judge or evaluate → We refuse These are not services we decline to offer. These are functions we explicitly refuse to perform. ================================================================================ WHY THIS MATTERS ================================================================================ Clarity about non-functions serves several purposes: 1. PREVENTS MISREPRESENTATION No one can claim we do things we explicitly refuse to do. 2. PROTECTS USERS Organizations understand they cannot rely on us for compliance. 3. MAINTAINS INTEGRITY Our role as neutral infrastructure is preserved. 4. ENABLES TRUST Paradoxically, refusing to be a trust authority makes us more trustworthy as infrastructure. ================================================================================ BOUNDARY STATEMENT ================================================================================ AnchorWorks produces cryptographic evidence. It does not produce compliance, safety, certification, or trust. AnchorWorks does not certify, approve, enforce, or evaluate governance adequacy. If uncertain, default to: AnchorWorks records and anchors evidence without asserting adequacy, correctness, or compliance.