Transparency
Where Your Money Goes
Every pledge is held in escrow in DebateStarter's Stripe balance until both debaters confirm and the broadcast happens. Once the debate concludes, the purse is paid out to the participating debaters. We charge a flat 2.5% platform fee on top of your pledge to cover Stripe processing, hosting, and stream delivery.
What Happens If a Showdown Doesn't Happen
If a proposal expires without both debaters agreeing, every pledge automatically converts to platform credit you can spend on any other showdown. You can also refund any individual paid pledge directly back to your card from My Pledges at any time before payout.
Private Broadcasts
Live debates are streamed via Cloudflare Stream with signed playback URLs scoped to each backer. Only people who have backed a given showdown can watch it live or replay the recording.
Identity & Auth
DebateStarter uses EDP ID for authentication. Your account is shared across the Digitalne Platforme network.