Specification — SCU Protocol

§ 1

Overview

The Semantic Contribution Unit (SCU) Protocol defines an open, peer-reviewed framework for evaluating AI-generated content quality through human validators.

The protocol provides:

A formal vote schema (Approve / Reject / Neutral) with mandatory written justification
Weighted consensus scoring based on validator trust scores and reputation
A Wikipedia-inspired dispute resolution system
Tiered validator roles with objective advancement criteria
REST API for partner site integration via SCU Connect

§ 2

Consensus Score

The Consensus Score is computed as a trust-weighted normalized average of validator votes:

CS(c) = Σ( w_i × V_i ) / Σ( w_i ) where: V_i ∈ {0, 50, 100} // Reject=0, Neutral=50, Approve=100 w_i = TrustScore(u_i) × ActionWeight(type_i) × ReputationMultiplier(u_i) // Range: 0–100 · Higher = stronger consensus

A score ≥ 70 indicates broad approval. Content scoring below 30 across 5+ reviews may be flagged for removal.

§ 3

Validator Roles

Role	Validations	Min. Accuracy	Vote Weight	Privileges
Novice	< 100	—	0.5×	Vote, explain
Contributor	10+	≥ 60%	1.0×	Vote, explain, file disputes
Validator	100+	≥ 75%	1.5×	+ Dispute arbiter
Expert	500+	≥ 85%	2.0×	+ Priority queue access
Arbiter	Manual grant	≥ 90%	3.0×	Final dispute resolution

§ 4

Validation Pipeline

How a single validator action progresses from widget interaction to consensus update:

Widget Event — Contributor interacts with the SCU widget on a partner site. Action type captured.

Auth Check — JWT credential validated. Rate limit (50/hour per IP) enforced. Duplicate check run.

Action Record — ValidationAction persisted with type, ContentRef, WebsiteId, UserId, and IP hash.

SCU Issuance — Contribution credits calculated via RewardRules × TrustMultiplier and added to wallet.

Score Update — ConsensusScore for the ContentItem recalculated. ContributorScores and MinerProfile updated.

§ 5

Trust Score & Reputation

Trust Score Formula

TrustScore(u) = ( AcceptedValidations / TotalValidations ) × 100 Clamped to [0, 100].// Decays if accuracy drops below 60% in last 30 days

TrustScore reflects the accuracy of a contributor's historical validation decisions. A high TrustScore translates to greater vote weight in consensus calculations.

§ 6

Dispute Rules

Any validator (Contributor+) may file a dispute on a review they believe is factually incorrect or violates guidelines.

A written reason of at least 30 characters is required to file a dispute.

The community votes Uphold (original was correct) or Overturn (original was wrong). Minimum 5 votes required to resolve.

The majority wins. If overturned, the original validator's TrustScore is reduced by 5 points. If the dispute fails, the disputant loses 2 points.

Arbiters may intervene in deadlocked disputes (tied votes after 48 hours).

§ 7

Anti-Fraud Mechanisms

One vote per content per type — Unique index on (UserId, WebsiteId, ContentRef, ActionType)
Rate limiting — 50 validation actions / hour per IP address
Device fingerprinting — Anomaly detection via device hash correlation
Sybil detection — Cross-account correlation flags coordinated vote patterns
Bot scoring — Behavioral signals auto-flagged to FraudDetection table
Trust decay — Sustained low-quality votes reduce TrustScore and vote weight

§ 8

API Reference

POST /api/widget-init.php

Initialize a widget session. Returns user info, consensus score, and a short-lived JWT.

// Request{ "pub_key": "scup_xxx", "page": "https://example.com/article/123" } // Response 200 { "ok": true, "session_token": "eyJ...", "consensus_score": 74.2 }

POST /api/validate.php

Submit a validation action, issue SCU contribution credits, update ConsensusScore.

// Request{ "pub_key": "scup_xxx", "action": "like", "page": "...", "session_token": "eyJ..." } // Response 200 { "ok": true, "scu_earned": 0.01, "new_balance": 124.51, "consensus_score": 74.5 }

GET /api/balance.php

Returns the authenticated contributor's SCU wallet balance and stats.

GET /api/consensus.php

Returns the current ConsensusScore for a content URL. Public endpoint — no auth required.

Authentication Headers:

X-SCU-Public-Key: scup_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Authorization: Bearer {widget_jwt} Content-Type: application/json

§ 9

License

This specification is published under CC BY 4.0. You are free to use, adapt, and build on it with attribution.

📖 Specification