Government announced earlier this year that the implementation of the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard will become mandatory for departments and, after some progress, ministers believe that further legislation is unnecessary
Departments will soon publicly release “multiple records” of algorithms used in operations and services, ministers have claimed.
The Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS) was created in 2022 and offers a consistent framework for public bodies to publish details of the algorithms used in making decisions. Six records were published at launch, and only three more have been published since then.
Government announced earlier this year plans to mandate Whitehall departments – and, eventually, the wider public sector – to adopt the ATRS and make records freely available online.
Artificial intelligence and digital government minister Feryal Clark said that, since publication “became mandatory earlier this year, publication plans were disrupted by the general election, but multiple records are expected to be published soon”.
She added that many agencies are already well underway in implementing the standard and creating documents for publication.
“Since the introduction of a mandatory requirement for use of ATRS in cross-government policy, we have seen a significant acceleration in progress towards adopting it, which will be reflected soon in published records,” the minister said.
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Given this progress, ministers “do not believe that legislation is necessary at this time” to make it a formal requirement, enshrined in law, for departments to adhere to the ATRS.
“We will continue to explore further options for encouraging and enforcing the use of the ATRS, and the need to extend the breadth of the policy beyond central government,” Clark added.
The minister, whose comments were made in response to a series of written parliamentary questions from Conservative MP David Davis, said that the use of citizens’ data by algorithms – and the potential impact of automated decisions – benefit from various legal and operational frameworks.
“In the UK’s data protection framework, Article 22 of the UK GDPR sets out the rules relating to solely automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on individuals,” she said. “Under these circumstances, individuals have the right to specific safeguards, including being notified of the decisions, being provided information about the solely automated decision making that has been carried out, and the right to contest those decisions and to obtain human intervention.”
Clark added: “These specific safeguards for solely automated decision making complement the wider data protection framework’s existing data subject rights, including the rights to transparency, objection and access. Organisations must also continue to observe the data protection principles to ensure personal data is processed lawfully, fairly and transparently. These rules apply to all organisations, including public bodies.”
ATRS was developed and is now overseen by the Central Digital and Data Office and Responsible Technology Adoption Unit – both of which are now based in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. It is reviewed every six months.
