Glossary entry

Stoppability

Definition of Stoppability in the Ethotechnics glossary (Ethotechnic capabilities (what systems must be able to do)). A system’s ability to halt harmful processes quickly and au…

Scholarly metadata

Authorship

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team · Ethotechnics Institute · research@ethotechnics.org

Contact: research@ethotechnics.org

Publication details

Published: Dec 3, 2025
Last updated: Jan 9, 2026
Version: v1.1.0
DOI: Pending Zenodo deposit

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Credit Ethotechnics Institute, include the term title + version, and link to the glossary permalink.

Archive snapshot: Wayback capture

Changelog

v1.1.0 · 2026-01-09 — Expanded scholarly metadata, operational tests, and provenance notes.
v1.0.0 · 2025-12-03 — Initial glossary release with stable permalinks.

Copy citation (APA/BibTeX)

Cite this glossary entry Formats: APA, MLA, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS

Version

v1.1.0

Last updated

Jan 9, 2026

Permalink

https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/stoppability

DOI

Pending Zenodo deposit

APA

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. (2026). Stoppability. Ethotechnics glossary. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/stoppability

MLA

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. "Stoppability." Ethotechnics glossary, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/stoppability.

Chicago

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. "Stoppability." Ethotechnics glossary. Jan 9, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/stoppability.

BibTeX

@misc{glossary_stoppability,
  title={Stoppability},
  author={Ethotechnics Institute Research Team},
  year={2026},
  howpublished={Ethotechnics glossary},
  url={https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/stoppability},
  version={v1.1.0}
}

RIS

TY  - WEB
TI  - Stoppability
AU  - Ethotechnics Institute Research Team
PY  - 2026
UR  - https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/stoppability
ER  -

Definition

A system’s ability to halt harmful processes quickly and automatically—without requiring heroism or escalation.

Scope

C. Ethotechnic capabilities (what systems must be able to do). Design requirements that keep people safe when systems scale.

Operational tests

Evidence appears in documentation, interface cues, or governance artifacts that reflect stoppability.
Teams can point to a concrete example that demonstrates stoppability in practice.

Genealogy

Ethotechnics uses Stoppability to extend the c. ethotechnic capabilities (what systems must be able to do) vocabulary and connect governance, design, and policy teams.

Stoppability

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