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Right to Explanation

What is Right to Explanation?

The right of individuals to receive a meaningful explanation of the logic behind automated decisions that significantly affect them.

Privacy and Data Protection

What the standards actually require on right to explanation

Requirements naming right to explanation across 5 standards, quoted from the control text.

Right to explanation. Article 8 gives affected persons the right to an explanation about decisions, recommendations or predictions made by AI systems that affect them.

BRAI-A8 · Right to explanation of AI decisions

Individuals have the right to request that handlers explain their personal-information handling rules.

PIPL-Art48 · Right to Explanation of Handling Rules
EU AI Act1 control

A deployer must, at the request of an affected person who has been subject to a decision the deployer took on the basis of the output of an Annex III high-risk AI system other than one listed under Annex III point 2, and which produces legal effects or similar...

EUAI-Art.86 · Right to explanation of individual decision-making

Provide consumers with a meaningful explanation of the principal factors and logic involved in an adverse consequential decision generated or materially assisted by an automated system.

VT-AICDA-4 · Right to Explanation of Automated Decisions

Korea PIPA Articles 35-37 + 37-2 data subject rights regime. Article 35 right of access (controller information + processing purposes + categories + retention + recipients + rights).

PIPA-Data-Subject-Rights-Access-Correction-Erasure-Portability-Automated-Decisions-Articles-35-37-2 · Korea PIPA Data Subject Rights + Access + Correction + Erasure + Portability + Article 35-37

Questions people ask about right to explanation

What is Right to Explanation?
The right of individuals to receive a meaningful explanation of the logic behind automated decisions that significantly affect them.
Why is Right to Explanation important for compliance?
Right to Explanation is a key concept in Privacy and Data Protection. Understanding right to explanation helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Right to Explanation?
Right to Explanation appears in the requirement text of Brazil AI Framework, China Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), EU AI Act, Vermont Artificial Intelligence and Consumer Data Act (AICDA), South Korea PIPA. Across these standards we have identified 5 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Right to Explanation?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how right to explanation applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 686 frameworks.

See how Right to Explanation applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.