Terms of Service¶

Comprehensive terms governing the use of Denmark's Parliamentary Open Data API (oda.ft.dk) and associated data services.

Overview and Scope¶

Service Definition¶

These Terms of Service govern access to and use of the Danish Parliament Open Data API ("the Service"), provided by the Danish Parliament (Folketinget) through the domain oda.ft.dk. The Service provides structured access to parliamentary data including:

Parliamentary cases (Sager) and proceedings
Political actor information (Aktører)
Voting records (Stemmer) and patterns
Parliamentary documents (Dokumenter)
Committee activities (Møder) and decisions
Historical parliamentary data dating back to 1953

Legal Framework¶

This Service operates under Danish law and EU regulations, including: - Danish Freedom of Information Act (Offentlighedsloven) - EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - Danish Data Protection Act - Public Sector Information Directive (PSI Directive) - Open Data Initiative guidelines

Geographic Scope¶

While the Service is accessible globally, these terms are governed by Danish law. Users accessing the Service from outside Denmark must comply with both these terms and their local applicable laws.

Acceptable Use Policies¶

Permitted Uses¶

The Service is provided to support democratic transparency and accountability. Permitted uses include:

Public Interest Activities¶

Journalistic Research: News reporting and investigative journalism
Academic Research: Scholarly analysis of parliamentary activities
Civic Engagement: Public education and democratic participation
Policy Analysis: Government transparency and accountability research
Historical Documentation: Archival and preservation activities

Commercial Applications¶

Media Services: News platforms and information services
Analytics Platforms: Political analysis and reporting tools
Educational Products: Civic education and training materials
Research Services: Consulting and policy analysis services
Technology Development: API clients and integration tools

Personal Use¶

Individual Research: Personal study of parliamentary activities
Educational Projects: Student assignments and learning
Civic Monitoring: Personal tracking of political representatives
App Development: Personal or open-source applications

Prohibited Activities¶

The following activities are strictly prohibited:

Malicious Use¶

System Disruption: Attempts to overload, disable, or impair the Service
Security Breaches: Unauthorized access attempts or vulnerability exploitation
Data Scraping: Automated harvesting that violates fair use principles
Infrastructure Attacks: DDoS attacks or similar malicious activities

Illegal Activities¶

Harassment: Using personal data to harass or threaten individuals
Defamation: Knowingly spreading false information about public officials
Identity Theft: Misusing personal information for fraudulent purposes
Discrimination: Using data to discriminate against protected groups

Misrepresentation¶

False Attribution: Misrepresenting data sources or API responses
Data Manipulation: Altering data to misrepresent parliamentary activities
Service Impersonation: Presenting yourself as affiliated with Folketinget
Misleading Claims: False statements about data accuracy or currency

API Usage Limitations and Fair Use¶

Technical Limitations¶

The Service operates without authentication or explicit rate limits, but users must observe fair use principles:

Request Volume Guidelines¶

Reasonable Frequency: Avoid excessive simultaneous requests
Batch Processing: Use appropriate pagination for large datasets
Caching: Implement reasonable caching to reduce redundant requests
Off-Peak Usage: Schedule heavy processing during off-peak hours (22:00-06:00 CET)

Performance Considerations¶

Response Time: Expect 85ms-2s response times under normal conditions
Timeout Handling: Implement proper timeout handling (recommend 30-60 seconds)
Error Handling: Handle HTTP 5xx errors gracefully with exponential backoff
Connection Limits: Use connection pooling appropriately

Data Usage Guidelines¶

Storage and Retention¶

Minimal Storage: Store only data necessary for your specific use case
Regular Updates: Refresh cached data periodically to maintain accuracy
Secure Storage: Implement appropriate security measures for stored personal data
Retention Limits: Delete unnecessary data according to your stated purposes

Processing Limitations¶

Purpose Limitation: Use data only for declared and legitimate purposes
Data Minimization: Process only the minimum data necessary
Accuracy Maintenance: Ensure processed data remains accurate and current
Transparent Processing: Clearly document how you process API data

Data Usage Rights and Restrictions¶

Rights Granted¶

Under these terms, you are granted a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to:

Access and Retrieve¶

API Access: Query the Service using standard OData protocols
Data Download: Retrieve parliamentary data for permitted purposes
Real-time Access: Monitor live parliamentary activities through the API
Historical Access: Query historical parliamentary data back to 1953

Use and Process¶

Analysis Rights: Analyze data for legitimate research and reporting
Republication Rights: Republish data with proper attribution
Derivative Works: Create derived datasets and analyses
Integration Rights: Integrate data into applications and services

Restrictions and Limitations¶

Personal Data Restrictions¶

The API contains extensive personal information about public officials. You must:

GDPR Compliance: Follow all applicable data protection regulations
Purpose Limitation: Use personal data only for stated purposes
Rights Respect: Honor data subject rights requests where applicable
Security Measures: Implement appropriate technical and organizational measures

Commercial Restrictions¶

While commercial use is permitted, you must:

Fair Competition: Ensure commercial use doesn't create unfair market advantages
Attribution Maintenance: Maintain proper attribution in commercial products
Transparency: Be transparent about data sources in commercial applications
Revenue Sharing: No requirement for revenue sharing, but consider ethical implications

Technical Restrictions¶

No Reverse Engineering: Don't attempt to reverse engineer the API infrastructure
Metadata Respect: Follow metadata and schema definitions provided
Format Integrity: Maintain data format integrity when republishing
Version Compatibility: Handle API version changes appropriately

User Responsibilities and Obligations¶

Data Protection Compliance¶

As a user processing personal data from the API, you must:

Legal Compliance¶

GDPR Compliance: Implement full GDPR compliance measures
Local Law Compliance: Follow applicable local data protection laws
Documentation: Maintain records of processing activities
Legal Basis: Establish and document lawful basis for processing

Technical Safeguards¶

Security Measures: Implement appropriate security controls
Access Controls: Limit access to personal data on need-to-know basis
Encryption: Use encryption for data in transit and at rest
Audit Trails: Maintain logs of data access and processing

Privacy Rights¶

Privacy Policy: Publish clear privacy policies for end users
Consent Management: Obtain necessary consents where required
Rights Requests: Handle data subject rights requests appropriately
Breach Notification: Implement data breach notification procedures

Attribution Requirements¶

Minimum Attribution¶

For any use of API data, provide:

Data source: Danish Parliament (Folketinget) - oda.ft.dk

Standard Attribution¶

For published works and applications:

Data provided by the Danish Parliament Open Data API (oda.ft.dk)
Retrieved: [Date]
License: Open Data under Danish Freedom of Information Act

Academic Attribution¶

For scholarly works:

Danish Parliament. (2025). Open Data API [Data set]. 
Retrieved [Date] from https://oda.ft.dk/api/

Quality Assurance Responsibilities¶

Data Accuracy¶

Verification: Verify data accuracy for critical applications
Currency Checks: Ensure data currency meets your requirements
Error Reporting: Report data quality issues to API maintainers
Disclaimer Provision: Include appropriate disclaimers about data limitations

User Communication¶

Transparency: Be transparent about data sources and limitations
Update Notifications: Notify users of significant data changes
Error Communication: Communicate data errors or outages to users
Support Provision: Provide appropriate user support for your applications

Prohibited Uses and Activities¶

Strictly Prohibited Activities¶

System Abuse¶

Denial of Service: Any attempt to overwhelm or disable the Service
Resource Monopolization: Excessive use that impacts other users
Infrastructure Probing: Unauthorized scanning or testing of systems
Circumvention Attempts: Bypassing technical limitations or security measures

Data Misuse¶

Personal Harassment: Using personal data to harass, stalk, or threaten individuals
Identity Fraud: Misusing personal information for fraudulent purposes
Discriminatory Use: Using data to discriminate against protected groups
Malicious Profiling: Creating profiles for harassment or discrimination

Legal Violations¶

Copyright Infringement: Violating copyright in derivative works
Privacy Violations: Breaching individual privacy rights
Defamation: Publishing false or defamatory information
Regulatory Violations: Violating applicable financial or political regulations

Content and Publication Restrictions¶

Misleading Information¶

False Attribution: Misrepresenting data sources or origins
Data Manipulation: Altering data to support false narratives
Context Removal: Removing important context that changes meaning
Timestamp Manipulation: Misrepresenting when events occurred

Commercial Misuse¶

Unfair Competition: Using data to create unfair competitive advantages
Market Manipulation: Using insider information for financial gain
Spam Generation: Using contact information for unsolicited communications
Automated Decision Harm: Making automated decisions that harm individuals

Service Availability and Uptime¶

Service Level Expectations¶

Availability Targets¶

Uptime Goal: 99.5% availability (target, not guarantee)
Planned Maintenance: Maximum 4 hours monthly during off-peak hours
Emergency Maintenance: As needed with minimal advance notice
Performance Target: 85ms-2s response times under normal load

Maintenance Windows¶

Regular Maintenance: First Sunday of each month, 02:00-06:00 CET
Security Updates: As required, with 24-hour advance notice when possible
Infrastructure Updates: Quarterly, with one-week advance notice
Database Maintenance: As needed, during low-traffic periods

Service Interruptions¶

Planned Outages¶

Advance Notice: Minimum 24-hour notice for planned maintenance
Status Updates: Real-time status updates on service status page
Duration Estimates: Best-effort estimates for maintenance duration
Rollback Plans: Prepared rollback procedures for failed deployments

Unplanned Outages¶

Incident Response: 24/7 monitoring and incident response
Communication: Status updates within 15 minutes of detection
Resolution Priority: Critical issues resolved within 4 hours target
Post-Incident Review: Public post-mortems for significant outages

Force Majeure¶

The Service may be unavailable due to circumstances beyond reasonable control: - Natural disasters or extreme weather - Internet infrastructure failures - Government mandated shutdowns - Cyber attacks or security incidents

Data Accuracy and Disclaimers¶

Data Accuracy Commitments¶

Real-Time Data¶

Session Updates: Parliamentary session data updated within 1-4 hours
Vote Recording: Voting results available within 1 hour of conclusion
Document Publishing: Documents available when officially published
Status Changes: Case status updates reflected within 24 hours

Historical Data¶

Immutability: Historical data is generally immutable once recorded
Correction Process: Errors corrected through documented processes
Version Control: Major corrections noted in change logs
Verification: Historical accuracy verified against official records

Data Limitations and Disclaimers¶

Accuracy Disclaimer¶

THE API DATA IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. While we strive for accuracy:

Human Error: Data entry errors may occur
Technical Issues: System failures may cause data gaps
Timing Delays: Real-time data may have delays
Format Changes: Data formats may evolve over time

Completeness Disclaimer¶

Data completeness varies by time period:

Period	Estimated Completeness	Notes
2010-Present	95-100%	Near complete coverage
2000-2009	90-98%	Good coverage, minor gaps
1990-1999	80-95%	Moderate gaps possible
1980-1989	60-85%	Significant gaps possible
Pre-1980	Variable	Major gaps likely

Usage Disclaimer¶

No Warranty: No warranty for fitness for particular purposes
User Responsibility: Users must verify data for critical applications
Independent Verification: Important decisions should be verified through official channels
Currency Check: Users must verify data currency for time-sensitive applications

Liability Limitations¶

Service Provider Limitations¶

Maximum Liability¶

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE DANISH PARLIAMENT'S LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO:

Direct Damages Only: No liability for indirect, consequential, or punitive damages
Nominal Amounts: Maximum liability limited to nominal amounts
Service Value: Liability cannot exceed the value of the free service (¬0)
Time Limitation: Claims must be brought within one year of occurrence

Exclusions¶

The following damages are explicitly excluded: - Business Losses: Lost profits, revenue, or business opportunities - Data Losses: Lost data or information (users must maintain backups) - Reputation Damage: Harm to reputation or goodwill - Third-Party Claims: Claims by third parties against users

User Liability and Indemnification¶

User Responsibilities¶

Users agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Danish Parliament from: - Misuse Claims: Claims arising from prohibited uses of the Service - Privacy Violations: Claims related to improper handling of personal data - Copyright Infringement: Claims related to derivative works or republication - Defamation Claims: Claims arising from false or misleading statements

Insurance Recommendations¶

Users engaged in commercial activities should consider: - Professional Liability Insurance: Coverage for errors and omissions - Cyber Liability Insurance: Coverage for data breaches and cyber incidents - General Liability Insurance: Coverage for third-party claims - Legal Defense Coverage: Coverage for legal defense costs

Force Majeure and External Factors¶

Excluded Events¶

No liability for service interruptions caused by: - Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, floods, storms, or other natural events - Government Actions: Law changes, regulations, or official orders - Network Failures: Internet infrastructure failures beyond our control - Third-Party Services: Failures of essential third-party services - Security Incidents: Cyber attacks or security breaches

Terms Modification and Updates¶

Modification Process¶

Notice Requirements¶

Advance Notice: Minimum 30 days notice for material changes
Publication: Changes published on the documentation website
Version Control: All versions archived and accessible
Effective Date: Clear effective date for new terms

Types of Changes¶

Minor Updates¶

Non-material changes that may be implemented with reduced notice: - Clarifications: Minor clarifications that don't change meaning - Contact Information: Updates to contact details or procedures
- Technical Details: Minor technical specification updates - Formatting: Improvements to formatting or organization

Material Changes¶

Significant changes requiring full notice period: - Rights Modifications: Changes to user rights or restrictions - Liability Changes: Modifications to liability or indemnification terms - Service Changes: Significant changes to service availability or features - Legal Updates: Changes required by law or regulation

User Acceptance¶

Continued Use¶

Implied Acceptance: Continued use after effective date constitutes acceptance
Objection Rights: Users may object to changes before effective date
Service Discontinuation: Users may discontinue use if they object to changes
Granular Acceptance: Some changes may allow selective acceptance

Notification Methods¶

Website Notices: Prominent notices on main documentation pages
API Headers: HTTP headers indicating terms version
Status Page: Updates posted to service status page
Archive Access: Historical terms versions maintained in archive

Legal Framework Updates¶

Regulatory Changes¶

Terms may be updated to comply with: - GDPR Updates: Changes to European data protection regulations - Danish Law Changes: Modifications to relevant Danish legislation - Court Decisions: Significant legal precedents affecting the Service - International Treaties: Relevant international agreements

Dispute Resolution¶

Danish Jurisdiction: Disputes governed by Danish law
Alternative Resolution: Preference for mediation before litigation
Language: Disputes conducted in Danish or English as appropriate
Venue: Copenhagen courts have exclusive jurisdiction

Contact Information and Support¶

General Inquiries¶

Email: folketinget@ft.dk
Website: www.ft.dk
Address: Christiansborg, 1240 København K, Denmark
Phone: +45 33 37 55 00

Technical Support¶

API Issues: Report through documentation feedback system
Data Quality: Submit data quality reports via official channels
Security Issues: security@ft.dk (for security vulnerabilities)
Status Updates: Monitor service status page for real-time information

Legal and Compliance¶

Terms Questions: Legal department via folketinget@ft.dk
Privacy Concerns: Data protection officer via official channels
GDPR Requests: Follow established data subject rights procedures
Commercial Licensing: For specialized licensing arrangements

Last Updated: September 2025
Version: 1.0
Effective Date: Immediate
Next Review: March 2026

These terms are provided in English for international accessibility. In case of discrepancy with Danish legal requirements, Danish law takes precedence.