A Bill of Runtime Rights: Ten Articles Governing the Authority Behind Machine-Initiated Actions

Ten articles governing the authority behind machine-initiated actions. Each article restates a protection that already applies when a person acts on you, adapted for an action that arrives with no actor attached to it. No article restricts what a system may be capable of, caps how fast it may operate, or names a technology. The articles first appeared in The Third Voice by Emily Hartstone, published by Hartstone Institute LLC. This is the complete standalone instrument, published openly for reuse in procurement standards, ordinances, contracts, employment agreements, and legislation: the ten articles with commentary, definitions, the five questions, model procurement language with its definitions attached, adoption guidance, and the changelog. Version 1.2, dated September 16, 2026, extends Article II to cover perceptibility and retrievability of notice, extends Article VI to cover compulsion of the record, rebuilds the procurement clause to name persons affected as intended beneficiaries of four notice and record obligations, and adds a publication status notice. It is a voluntary standard and a model for adaptation, not legal advice, and publication creates no legal relationship with Hartstone Institute LLC. Free to reproduce, adapt, quote, and legislate. No permission required and no attribution required.