IEEE 7012-2025 Quick Reference
Machine Readable Personal Privacy Terms for 0xagentprivacy
Version: 1.0
Date: January 29, 2026
Standard Published: January 20, 2026
Status: โ
CANONICAL REFERENCE
Overview
IEEE Std 7012โข-2025 establishes the foundational standard for machine-readable personal privacy terms. This standard inverts the traditional notice-and-consent model: individuals propose terms as first parties, organizations respond as second parties.
The Swordsman browser agent implements IEEE 7012 as its core agreement layer.
Standard Host: Customer Commons (customercommons.org/p7012)
Working Group Chair: Doc Searls
Vice Chair: Justin Byrd
Editor: Mary Hodder
Core Principles
The Inversion
| Traditional Model | IEEE 7012 Model |
|---|---|
| Organization writes terms | Individual proposes terms |
| Individual accepts or leaves | Organization accepts, negotiates, or declines |
| Unilateral imposition | Bilateral agreement |
| "Notice and consent" | "Propose and respond" |
| Attack pattern | Invitation pattern |
Promise Theory Alignment
IEEE 7012 implements the invitation pattern from Promise Theory:
- Invitation Pattern: Acceptance relationship established BEFORE specific proposals
- Attack Pattern: Extraction without prior consent (surveillance default)
The Swordsman presents terms BEFORE any data exchange. Site must accept terms to proceed.
Canonical Definitions
Note: These are paraphrased interpretations for 0xagentprivacy context. See official IEEE documentation for authoritative definitions.
| Term | Definition | 0xagentprivacy Mapping |
|---|---|---|
| Agent | An actor working on behalf of a person to represent them and present proposed terms to entities | Swordsman browser agent |
| Agreement | A compound set of terms or clauses, proposed and offered before formal contract | MyTerms negotiation output |
| Contract | A mutual agreement creating enforceable obligations between parties | Signed bilateral record |
| Entity | Any organization with which a person makes contractual agreement (always organization) | Second party / service provider |
| First Party | The individual (always a person, never organization) | First Person ๐ |
| Second Party | The entity (always an organization) | Service provider |
| Policy | Set of obligations for communication and cooperation (per ISO 22600-2:2014) | Privacy policy framework |
| Proposer | A person who advances terms and agreements to another party | First Person via Swordsman |
| DPV | Data Privacy Vocabulary - W3C machine-readable metadata standard | Semantic interoperability layer |
| Machine-readable | Terms that can be processed by computer systems | JSON-LD, RDF, HTTP headers |
Agreement Taxonomy
Service Delivery Agreements (SD)
These agreements govern what a service provider may do with data during service delivery.
| Code | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SD-BASE | Service Delivery Only | Service delivery only. No analytics, tracking, or profiling. |
| SD-BASE-DP | + Data Portability | Service delivery with data portability rights included. |
| SD-BASE-A | + Analytics | Analytics by second party permitted. No tracking or profiling. |
| SD-BASE-AT | + Analytics + Tracking | Analytics and tracking by second party permitted. No profiling. |
| SD-BASE-ATP | + Full Profiling | Full analytics, tracking, and profiling by second party permitted. |
| SD-BASE-ATP-S3P | + Third Party Sharing | Full profiling plus anonymized data sharing with third parties. |
Hierarchy: SD-BASE is most restrictive โ SD-BASE-ATP-S3P is most permissive
Personal Data Contribution Agreements (PDC)
These agreements govern intentional data contributions by the First Person.
| Code | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| PDC-INTENT | Intentcasting | Going to market with structured requirements. First Person declares what they seek; entities respond. |
| PDC-AI | AI Training | Contributing data for AI model training. Explicit consent for machine learning use. |
| PDC-GOOD | Public Good | Contributing data for public benefit purposes. Research, commons, collective intelligence. |
Technical Specifications
Machine-Readable Formats
IEEE 7012 specifies multiple formats for interoperability:
| Format | Use Case | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP Headers | Real-time negotiation | MRPAZ protocol for request/response |
| JSON / JSON-LD | API integration | Structured data with semantic context |
| RDF / Turtle | Semantic web | Linked data compatibility |
| Bitwise (CONTRACT ZONE) | Compact encoding | Efficient binary representation |
HTTP Header Protocol (MRPAZ)
The MRPAZ protocol enables real-time term negotiation via HTTP headers:
Request:
P7012-Terms: SD-BASE
P7012-Version: 1.0
Response:
P7012-Accept: SD-BASE
P7012-Status: ACCEPTED
0xagentprivacy Implementation Mapping
| IEEE 7012 Element | 0xagentprivacy Component |
|---|---|
| Individual Agent | Swordsman browser extension |
| Entity Agent | Website MyTerms responder |
| Agreement-chooser | MyTerms configuration UI |
| Proposer function | Swordsman's automatic term presentation |
| Recorder function | Chronicle system (bilateral proof storage) |
| HTTP MRPAZ headers | Cookie-slashing protocol integration |
| CONTRACT ZONE | Bitwise term encoding for efficiency |
| Customer Commons | Neutral agreement registry host |
Integration with Dual-Agent Architecture
Why IEEE 7012 Matters for Privacy
The standard provides the agreement layer that makes dual-agent architecture enforceable:
| Layer | Function | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Agreement | What terms govern interaction | IEEE 7012 |
| Protection | Enforce boundaries | Swordsman โ๏ธ |
| Delegation | Execute authorized actions | Mage ๐ง |
| Verification | Prove compliance | ZKP / VRCs |
Without the agreement layer, the Swordsman has no terms to enforce. IEEE 7012 gives the blade meaning that persists.
The Blade and The Contract
"The blade slashes surveillance. The contract binds behavior."
- Slashing alone is insufficient: Cookies respawn, trackers return
- Contracts create persistence: Violation is breach, not just technical failure
- Both serve the First Person: Destruction without agreement is endless war; agreement without enforcement is mere hope
Customer Commons
IEEE 7012 agreements are hosted by Customer Commons, a neutral nonprofit that:
- Maintains the official agreement registry
- Profits from neither individuals nor organizations
- Provides permanence and trust through neutrality
- Enables verification without centralized control
This neutral hosting is essentialโit prevents capture by either side of the agreement.
Resources
Official Sources
- IEEE Standard: IEEE Std 7012โข-2025
- Customer Commons: customercommons.org/p7012
- W3C DPV: w3.org/ns/dpv (Data Privacy Vocabulary)
0xagentprivacy Documentation
- Whitepaper v4.8: ยง4.X The MyTerms Foundation
- Glossary v2.3: Section 9 - IEEE 7012-2025 Standard
- Spellbook: Integration with MyTerms Swordsman
Version History
| Version | Date | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | January 29, 2026 | Initial release aligned with IEEE 7012-2025 publication |
"The cookie crumbles, the contract remembers. Slash what violates, bind what agrees."
โ๏ธ๐ | ๐
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