⚖️Legal and Compliance

This document covers legal and compliance requirements you must follow when deploying AskGov. Review these requirements as you progress through this guide.

🚫 Remove Singapore Government Branding 🇸🇬

AskGov is open source, but you must not use the official Singapore Government branding in deployments outside authorized Singapore Government contexts.

Branding Removal Checklist

Frontend Components:

• Government Logos: Remove all .gov.sg logos from /public/icons/

• App Metadata: Update site title and description in app/root.jsx

• Footer Links: Remove Singapore-specific links and references

• Agency References: Replace with your own agency list

Environment Variables:

• App name — Change from "AskGov" to your organization name

• App url — Use your organization's domain

• Mail from — Use your organization's email domain

Singapore-Specific Services:

• Postman: Replace with your email/SMS service

• Government Integration: Remove any Singapore government API references

Verification Script:

# Check for Singapore references
grep -r -i "singapore\|gov\.sg\|ogp" \
    app/ public/ \
    --exclude-dir={node_modules,dist,build} \
    --exclude="*.{test,spec}.{ts,tsx,js,jsx}"

Open Source License Compliance

MIT License Requirements

AskGov is licensed under the MIT License, which means:

✅ You CAN: Use commercially, modify, distribute, use privately

❌ You MUST: Include original license, maintain copyright notices

⚠️ You CANNOT: Use AskGov trademark without permission

Third-Party Dependencies

Dependency License Review:

• Review all dependency licenses

• Document any GPL/copyleft requirements

• Check for commercial license conflicts

License Audit Script:

npx license-checker --summary --out licenses.txt

Data Protection Considerations

Review your local requirements for:

• Privacy Notice - What data you collect and why

• Data Retention - How long you keep citizen data

• Data Localization - Where data must be stored

• User Rights - Access, correction, deletion procedures

Disclaimer and Liability

AskGov Project Disclaimer

AskGov is provided "AS IS" under the MIT License. The original developers:

• Provide no warranty or guarantee of fitness for purpose

• Are not liable for damages from your use of the software

• Do not provide commercial support or SLA guarantees

Your Deployment Responsibility

As the deploying organization, you are responsible for:

• Security - Proper configuration and hardening

• Compliance - Meeting all applicable laws and regulations

• Support - Helping your users and maintaining documentation

• Operations - Keeping the system running and updated

Pre-Deployment Legal Checklist

Before going to production, confirm:

• All Singapore branding removed (run verification script)

• Your privacy policy covers Q&A data collection

• Terms of service clearly state service limitations

• Data protection requirements addressed

• Records management policy in place

• Incident response procedures documented

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⚖️ Legal Principle: You are responsible for ensuring your AskGov deployment complies with applicable laws, regulations, and organizational policies in your jurisdiction. Consult with your legal team for specific requirements.