Information Access Mechanisms for Effective Digital Oversight

We currently find ourselves navigating a complex web of laws, regulations, ethics checklists and other frameworks relating to data and AI. One might wonder: surely the issue is no longer a lack of rules? So where does the real problem lie?

Many point to a lack in effective oversight and enforcement. This was also a key finding in my earlier work: the relevant rights and principles may be in place, but how can we make sure that they are actually enforced?

Effective oversight, as the word suggests, requires ‘sight’. But how do oversight bodies gain that visibility in practice? So far, there has been little empirical research on this question. I interviewed a broad range of senior professionals from oversight bodies across the EU and the UK, including data protection authorities (regulators), consumer protection agencies, standards and certification organisations, and consumer rights NGOs.

I explored the specific strategies and tools they use to supervise digital infrastructure, the challenges they encounter, and where they see the greatest need for improvement.

The result is a practical overview of concrete mechanisms that researchers can build on, and that, hopefully, will also be of use to regulators and other practitioners working in this space. More to come.