URL as identity

The wizard had a problem. It opened with "Organization Name" — a text field floating in space, disconnected from anything real. You'd type a name, pick a sector, describe your audience, and somewhere in the back of your mind wonder: what is this policy actually for?

That question kept nagging. Google Analytics doesn't ask you to name your business first. It asks for your URL. The URL is the property. Everything else is metadata about that URL.

So I rebuilt Step 1. Now the wizard opens with one question: "What URL is this publishing policy for?" You type it, hit enter, and the system figures out the rest. YouTube URL? It detects the channel, pre-fills the handle as your publisher name, shows a "YouTube Channel" badge. Substack? Same thing. Independent domain? "Independent Site" badge, and you fill in the name yourself. The remaining fields — sector, audience, mission — appear together after the URL is committed. No reveal-one-at-a-time pacing. Just: here's your URL, here's who you are, let's go.

The bigger architectural shift: /build now requires authentication. Previously you could create policies anonymously and claim them later. That was technically flexible but conceptually confused. If you're building a publishing policy, you should own it from the start. Sign in, build your policy, it's yours.

The other new piece is Step 5: Review & Verify. After defining commitments and malpublish definitions (Steps 2-4, unchanged), you land on a summary page. Your URL is the anchor at the top. Below it: your identity, commitments, accountability framework, and definition count — each with an "edit" link back to its step. Then verification options, adapted by URL type. Domain owners get DNS TXT, well-known file, and meta tag options. Everyone gets bio link. And prominently: "I'll verify later." No pressure.

When you save, the API auto-creates an organization record from your URL. Domain extracted, platform type detected, slug generated, user linked as owner. The policy and org are born together. Previously you'd create a policy, then separately register an organization, then link them. Now it's one action.

Eight phases deployed. The URL is the primary key.