How CommUnity OS Works

CommUnity OS is civic infrastructure — a map, not a law firm and not a clinic. It points you to benefits, representatives, and free legal help that already exist but are hard to find. It does not ask who you are, does not store identifying information, and does not sell anything.

What the platform actually does

It points, it doesn't diagnose

When you describe a situation — a landlord problem, a benefits question, a medical bill dispute — CommUnity OS identifies what category of problem that usually is and points you to where people in that category usually find help. It does not tell you what your specific rights are or what to do about your specific situation. That is a conversation for a licensed attorney, a licensed clinician, or another credentialed professional.

It explains, it doesn't represent you

Fifty-four bilingual knowledge guides explain how specific civic and consumer systems work — FCRA, FDCPA, SCRA, IEP, SNAP, tenant rights, small-claims court, and more. They are general information, not advice on your specific facts. Before you send a legal letter or make a decision with consequences, a licensed professional should review it.

It formats, it doesn't author

Dispute-letter templates let you generate a draft letter by picking the template and the statute yourself and entering the facts. The platform formats them. It does not pick the legal theory for you and does not check whether your claim is timely or valid. Those are the parts a lawyer does.

It calculates nothing clinical

Cardiovascular, diabetes, and BMI risk tools on this site link out to their authoritative sources — the American College of Cardiology, the American Diabetes Association, and the CDC. The platform does not run clinical computations locally. If a calculator result concerns you, talk with a licensed clinician.

What the platform does not do

It does not ask for your real name, email, phone number, address, or ID.
It does not store identifying information.
It does not sell data. It has no advertisers.
It does not track you across sites.
It does not share information with law enforcement without a valid subpoena or court order.
It does not represent itself as a law firm, medical practice, or government service.

Privacy, concretely

The platform is designed around three data tiers. See the full Privacy Notice for detail.

What we collect and keep

A display name you choose (not your real name), a ZIP code you enter, and content you post to the platform's civic channels (proposals, votes, comments).

What we process but do not keep

Everything you type into a template form — your name, address, account numbers, income information, anything else. Template forms run entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter in a template form is sent to our servers. When you close the tab, it is gone.

What we never collect

Real names. Email addresses (unless you choose to send one when contacting us). Phone numbers. Precise location beyond ZIP. Government ID numbers. Biometric identifiers. Health information linkable to an individual. Anything that would let a third party identify you.

How the platform is built

The two tiers

CommUnity OS has two distinct license tiers — one for the software itself and one for the content we publish. They are different because they serve different purposes. See the Platform License.

The operator model

The platform deploys through partner organizations — legal aid organizations, community colleges, community nonprofits. Each partner is an Operator under a written Operator Agreement with the platform operator. Operators authorize Leads (community figures who administer specific channels); Leads serve Residents (end users). Leads and Residents accept their own terms of service when they first use the platform.

The cost

About $7 per year to operate. Cloudflare Workers, D1, and Netlify free tiers do most of the work. No venture capital. No ads. No data sales. The price is not a marketing claim; it is the actual infrastructure bill.

Who built it

A Concerned Parent built this platform. It is operated by an Illinois single-member limited liability company (IL SOS file #1774294414921913). Content is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 where so marked.

What the platform is for

Finding help that exists

Tens of billions of dollars in government benefits go unclaimed every year across SNAP, EITC, WIC, and other programs. Most low-income Americans with civil legal problems receive inadequate or no legal help.¹ The programs exist; finding the front door is hard. CommUnity OS is a map.

Civic participation

The platform also includes tools for civic participation: identifying and contacting your representatives, looking up their public records, finding consensus with other residents on local issues, and drafting proposals for local changes. These tools are designed to be used by anyone with a ZIP code, without identifying anyone.

What the platform is not for

Personalized legal advice. See Legal Aid Chicago or Illinois Legal Aid Online.
Clinical care or individual medical decisions. See a licensed clinician. Free or low-cost: HRSA Find a Health Center.
Emergencies. Call 911. For crisis support: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Immigration questions about your specific case. See an immigration attorney or an EOIR-accredited representative.
Financial advice on your specific investments or tax situation. See a licensed professional.

Sources

Legal Services Corporation, The Justice Gap: The Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Americans (2022). Available at lsc.gov. Unclaimed-benefits figures: see aggregated research at Benefits.gov and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.