Acceptable Use Policy

Effective: April 8, 2026

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") governs your use of Panopticon. It supplements our Terms of Service and exists to ensure the Platform is used responsibly and lawfully.

Panopticon is designed for legitimate OSINT research. We take misuse seriously and will restrict access for any user who violates this policy.

Permitted Uses

Journalism & fact-checking — investigating public figures, verifying claims, and researching stories using publicly available social media data.
Academic research — sociological, behavioral, and communications research on public social media activity, subject to your institution's ethics review requirements.
Cybersecurity & threat intelligence — identifying threat actors, investigating disinformation campaigns, and analyzing attack vectors using public indicators.
Personal security audits — examining your own online footprint to identify risks and reduce exposure.
Legal & compliance — authorized investigations by legal professionals, law enforcement with proper jurisdiction, and compliance teams.
Brand monitoring — monitoring public mentions, sentiment, and hashtag usage related to your organization.

Strictly Prohibited Uses

The following activities are strictly prohibited and may result in immediate and permanent access revocation:

Harassment & Stalking

Using the Platform to stalk, harass, intimidate, or threaten any individual.
Monitoring an individual's activity for purposes of harassment or control.
Using gathered intelligence to contact, approach, or surveil an individual without their knowledge or consent.

Doxxing & Privacy Violations

Compiling or publishing personal information to expose, endanger, or embarrass any individual.
Aggregating data across platforms to de-anonymize or identify individuals who have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
Posting or sharing intelligence reports that could lead to the identification and targeting of private individuals.

Discrimination & Profiling

Using the Platform to discriminate against individuals based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or political affiliation.
Building dossiers for employment screening, tenant screening, insurance underwriting, or credit decisions without explicit legal authorization.

Illegal Activity

Any use that violates applicable local, state, national, or international law.
Circumventing access controls or attempting to access non-public data.
Using the Platform as part of a scheme to commit fraud, identity theft, or extortion.
Automated bulk scraping or systematic downloading beyond normal interactive use.

Targeting Minors

Analyzing profiles of individuals known or suspected to be under 18 years of age.
Using the Platform in any way that could endanger a minor.

Enforcement

Violations of this AUP may result in:

Immediate suspension or permanent ban from the Platform.
Reporting to relevant law enforcement authorities.
Cooperation with legal proceedings if required by law.

Reporting Abuse

If you believe the Platform is being misused, or if your own profile has been subject to abusive analysis, you can immediately prevent further access by making your account private. See our Takedown & Removal page for instructions.