Universal Complaint Format (.ucf)

A simple, open, TOML-based file format for registering and exchanging citizen complaints across public or private complaint systems.

💡 Overview

The Universal Complaint Format (UCF) is designed to make complaint submission and exchange interoperable across different departmental complaint systems — from municipal corporations to utility companies.

UCF is:

• Citizen-facing: used by apps and web portals that collect complaints.
• Interoperable: readable and writable across server systems of different departments.
• Extensible: departments can add optional tables or fields without breaking compatibility.
• Verifiable: complaint file hashes can be stored on blockchains or audit systems.
• Look at example.ucf to get a feel.

🔗 Integration Scenarios

• Citizen complaint apps can generate .ucf files automatically.
• Complaint servers can parse .ucf inputs for direct registration.
• Blockchain-based systems can store file hashes for record verification.

🧠 Design Principles

• Simplicity over power: one file = one complaint
• Readable by humans and machines
• Secure and privacy-aware
• Flexible field extensions

🤝 Contributing

We welcome public feedback and improvements! Please open an issue or a pull request with suggestions, discussions, or example implementations.

Recommended contribution ideas:

• Schema extensions
• Parser implementations
• Security/encryption best practices

⚖️ License

Released under the MIT License.

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Maintainers

• @devpraton (Initial author)
• Open community contributors 🌍

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Let’s build an open, standard way for citizens to be heard.