Skip to content

Transparency

What is Transparency?

The principle that individuals should be clearly informed about how their personal data is being collected, used, and processed. Transparency is a foundational principle of GDPR and requires clear, plain language in privacy communications.

Privacy

Each of these is named in at least one of the same controls as transparency. The number is how many controls name both.

What the standards actually require on transparency

Requirements naming transparency across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

Transparency (Toumeisei 透明性) is the sixth of 10 Principles per Japan AI Guidelines for Business + reinforced by Hiroshima AI Process Code of Conduct (October 2023) which establishes voluntary transparency commitments for frontier AI developers.

JP-AIG-Transparency-Documentation-Model-Card-System-Card-Tier-Based-Disclosure-Hiroshima-Code-of-Conduct · Japan AI Guidelines Transparency + Documentation + Model Card + System Card + Datasheet + Tier-Based Disclosure + Hiroshima Code of Conduct + AI Generated Content + Watermarking + C2PA + User Notification

Providers of intermediary services (except micro/small enterprises that are not VLOPs) shall publish, at least annually, clear and comprehensible reports on any content moderation they engaged in during the period.

DSA-Art.15 · Transparency reporting obligations for providers of intermediary services

Log all signing events in immutable transparency log providing auditable record of signature creation

SIGSTORE-REK-1 · Signature Transparency Logging

Providers must inform users in a conspicuous manner that they provide algorithmic recommendation services and publicise the basic principles, purpose/intent and main operating mechanisms in an appropriate way.

CN-ALG-A16 · Algorithm Transparency Disclosure to Users

Employers shall make easily accessible to workers the criteria used to determine pay, pay levels and pay progression, and those criteria shall be objective and gender-neutral (employers with fewer than 50 workers may be exempt from the pay-progression criteria...

PTD-Art.6 · Transparency of pay setting and pay progression policy

Article 20 requires recognised data altruism organisations to record: (a) all data users using their data; (b) the dates / durations of use; (c) the purpose; (d) any fees paid by data users; (e) the data subjects / data holders' interests safeguarded.

DGA-Art.20_21 · Transparency and safeguarding requirements (Articles 20-21)

Questions people ask about transparency

What is Transparency?
The principle that individuals should be clearly informed about how their personal data is being collected, used, and processed. Transparency is a foundational principle of GDPR and requires clear, plain language in privacy communications.
Why is Transparency important for compliance?
Transparency is a key concept in Privacy. Understanding transparency 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 Transparency?
Transparency appears in the requirement text of Japan AI Guidelines, Digital Services Act (DSA) - Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, Sigstore - Software Artifact Signing and Verification, Administrative Measures for the Security Assessment of Generative AI Services (2023) and Algorithmic Recommendation Management Provisions (2022), Directive (EU) 2023/970 on pay transparency. Across these standards we have identified 31 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Transparency?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how transparency 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 Transparency 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.