Umecohming, as described thus far, is not merely a mechanism for adding tags to information. It is a common foundation for associating governance information with different forms of digital content and maintaining Governance Context as that information moves across systems and organizations. Its characteristics can be summarized in five principles.

First, Umecohming is Machine-Readable. Governance information such as Fact, Evaluation, Policy, and Process is represented in a structure that AI systems and other systems can automatically identify and reference, enabling it to connect to subsequent governance processes, including Decision and Execution.

Second, it is Content-Agnostic. The same underlying approach can be applied across different forms of digital content, including documents, images, video, audio, data, and source code.

Third, it is Layered. Fact, Evaluation, Policy, Process, and other governance information are not collapsed into a single overall judgment. Instead, their distinct meanings and functions are preserved, making it possible to distinguish what was established, what was evaluated, what was prescribed, and what actually occurred.

Fourth, it is Interoperable. A common structure enables governance information to be exchanged and referenced across different AI Providers, companies, organizations, industries, countries, and regions. What is standardized is not the Policy itself, but the structure through which governance information is communicated.

Fifth, it is Extensible. To accommodate changes in technology, law, regulation, and societal requirements, the structure is not limited to a fixed set of tags. New Tag Types and Attributes can be added as governance requirements evolve.

Together, these characteristics make Umecohming more than a tagging system designed for a particular AI system or use case. It provides a structure through which Governance Context can remain machine-readable as information moves across environments and can be carried forward into subsequent systems and Decisions.

The underlying principle is simple:

Once associated, governance travels with information.