Start with the choices you can change.
Choose your tool, then follow the model and the host behind it. These questions help you make sense of the evidence.
Does No named target found mean BDS approved?
No. We check the named companies in two official BNC campaign sources. BDS uses selective boycott and pressure campaigns; absence from those lists is not approval. Read the company or parent match and any known cloud, investment or commercial relationships on the profile.
How do overall scores rank ethical AI?
The tables rank the average of available numerical ratings, with the number of rated dimensions shown beside it. A high partial average can hide important unknowns. Check the individual findings and BDS status before choosing a tool, model or host.
How do I pick a better coding tool?
Start with where your code goes. Check telemetry, the model provider, retention settings and whether local inference is practical. Then read the model and host profiles as well as the coding tool’s own record.
Does local AI protect privacy?
It can keep prompts on your device when the whole setup is local. Cloud fallback, embeddings, telemetry, search and extensions can still send data elsewhere. The privacy score always needs its configuration.
Does open source mean ethically trained?
No. A license for weights or code is separate from permission to use the works in the training set. Look for corpus records, actual licenses and the limits of opt-outs or certification.
Why are some fields unrated?
Public material may not establish the working conditions, energy mix or customers behind a service. We write up what was reviewed and leave the score blank when a number would pretend to know more than the evidence supports.
Can I avoid funding military or surveillance work?
Read the dated contract and business-relationship sections, including indirect hosting dependencies. A product policy can restrict certain uses while its parent company still sells other services to defense customers. Absence from this catalog is not evidence of no relationship.
Are the green scores independently certified?
No. The colors show our provisional editorial ratings under published criteria. Each one links to its reason and evidence. Where a source includes a certification or independent measurement, the finding should name its exact scope.