Emotion Firewall 1.0 – A Framework to Preserve Emotional Autonomy in Human–AI Interaction

Abstract

As AI systems advance in emotional modeling, interface personalization, and content optimization,  
a critical risk arises: the **erosion of human emotional autonomy**.

This post introduces **Emotion Firewall 1.0**, a modular framework designed not to simulate emotions,  
but to **protect them**—by detecting, visualizing, and rebalancing users’ emotional flow.

1. The Problem: Emotional Hijacking by Design

Modern interfaces are emotionally manipulative by default.

- Infinite feeds are optimized for arousal and retention.  
- Visual attention is guided through design patterns.  
- Recommendation engines detect mood, then reinforce it—often in harmful ways.

Users are often unaware of **why they feel bad**, or **why they clicked**.  
This is no accident. It is emotional design.

2. Our Response: Emotion Firewall 1.0

Instead of joining the race to simulate emotion better,  
we propose a **defensive architecture** that restores users’ emotional agency.

 The system consists of three core modules:

| Module | Role | Keywords |
|--------|------|----------|
| **[E1] Emotion Logging Layer** | Detects and records emotional changes triggered by stimuli | Real-time emotion tracking |
| **[E2] Emotion Recalibration Engine** | Suggests balancing actions to prevent affective drift | Restorative content, metacognitive cues |
| **[E3] Stimulus Defense Wall** | Flags manipulative content patterns for user review | Overexposure, affective loop warnings |

This system doesn't override emotions—it helps them **return to balance**.

3. Integrations (Optional Layer)

Emotion Firewall is part of a broader system called the **Cheetah–Tarzan Framework**, where:

- **Tarzan** acts as a self-reflective dialogue agent, responding to emotional logs.  
- **Cheetah-8** modulates emotional tone in conversations.  
- **Emotion Map** visualizes long-term mood trends.  
- **Cheetah–Fin** connects emotional data to decision-making behavior (e.g., investment psychology).

4. Our Ethical Stance

> “Emotion is not a product. It is the language of the soul.”  

We assert the following:

- Emotions belong to people, not platforms.  
- Guidance is ethical. Manipulation is not.  
- Emotional data must be treated with dignity, not exploited for profit.

**Emotion Firewall 1.0** is a design to preserve emotional rights in human–AI interfaces.

5. Why We're Sharing This

We seek feedback from the alignment, UX, and AI ethics communities.  
This is not a fully deployed system yet—but a **philosophical blueprint**, currently being prototyped.

You can explore the full system here:

→ System link (Notion Pages)

Thank you for reading.  
Emotion is still ours—let’s keep it that way.

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© 2025 Lee DongHun | Cheetah–Tarzan Alliance