communities.news

Compute Volunteer Agreement

Last updated: March 2026 (Version 1.0; relocated to communities.news on 2026-05-05; policy substance unchanged)

1. Introduction

This Compute Volunteer Agreement ("Volunteer Agreement") governs your participation in the Compute Volunteer program as a volunteer transcriptionist on the Community News platform. By applying to become a Compute Volunteer, you agree to this Agreement in addition to our general Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

2. Program Overview

The Compute Volunteer program enables volunteers to help transcribe public meetings, government proceedings, and other video content to support local journalism on community newsrooms operating on the Community News platform. As a Compute Volunteer, you will use our desktop application to download videos, generate transcriptions using AI, review them for accuracy, and submit them to the platform.

3. Eligibility

To participate as a Compute Volunteer, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Have a valid account on a Community News newsroom
  • Meet the technical requirements (desktop computer, internet connection, storage space)
  • Agree to this Volunteer Agreement
  • Be approved by our team

4. Data Handling Responsibilities

As a Compute Volunteer, you are responsible for handling content appropriately:

  • Local Processing: Audio and video files are downloaded and processed locally on your computer. You must not share these files with any third party.
  • File Deletion: After a job is completed or cancelled, you must allow the worker app to delete all temporary files. Do not retain copies of meeting recordings.
  • No Redistribution: You may not copy, share, redistribute, or publish any meeting content outside of the platform, regardless of whether it is publicly available.
  • Platform Compliance: You must comply with the terms of service of source platforms (YouTube, Vimeo, Zoom, etc.) when downloading content.

5. Confidentiality

While much of the content you transcribe is from public meetings, you agree to:

  • Not discuss or share specific meeting content outside the platform until it is published as an article
  • Report any sensitive or potentially confidential content you encounter to our team
  • Not use information from transcriptions for personal gain, trading, or other purposes

6. Quality Standards

We expect Compute Volunteers to maintain high quality standards:

  • Review AI-generated transcriptions before submitting
  • Correct obvious errors in speaker identification, names, and terminology
  • Flag content that may need additional review
  • Complete claimed jobs in a timely manner or release them for others

7. Monitoring and Spot-Checks

To ensure quality and compliance, we may:

  • Review submitted transcriptions for accuracy
  • Conduct random spot-checks of your work
  • Monitor for unusual patterns or suspicious activity
  • Request that you re-process or correct previous submissions

8. Volunteer Status

Your participation as a Compute Volunteer is voluntary. You understand that:

  • You are not an employee of Community News LLC
  • You will not receive monetary compensation for your work
  • You may stop participating at any time
  • We may change or discontinue the program at any time

9. Suspension and Termination

We may suspend or terminate your Compute Volunteer status if you:

  • Violate this Volunteer Agreement or our general Terms of Service
  • Submit low-quality or inaccurate transcriptions repeatedly
  • Fail to complete claimed jobs without releasing them
  • Share or redistribute meeting content inappropriately
  • Engage in fraudulent or deceptive behavior

If suspended, you may appeal by contacting our support team. Terminated workers may not reapply for the program.

10. Recognition

Approved Compute Volunteers receive:

  • Attribution: Your name will be credited on articles created from your transcriptions (e.g., "Transcribed by [Your Name]")
  • Badges: Earn badges for milestones like first job, 10 jobs, etc.
  • Trust Levels: Build reputation from "New" to "Trusted" to "Verified"

11. Changes to This Agreement

We may update this Volunteer Agreement from time to time. If we make significant changes, we will notify you by email and may require you to re-accept the updated terms to continue participating.

12. Contact

If you have questions about this Volunteer Agreement or the Compute Volunteer program, please contact us at communities.news/contact or [email protected].