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Evidence, testing & findings

Use three connected evidence layers:

  1. Authority evidence — official source, status, provision, effective date and applicability.
  2. Control evidence — policy, procedure, contract, configuration, record and accountable owner.
  3. Outcome evidence — test, monitoring, complaint, incident, decision sample and affected-party result.

A legal source proves the obligation, not compliance. A policy proves design intent, not operation.

RouteUseful evidence
Data protectionProcessing record, lawful-basis analysis, notices, rights handling, impact assessment, security and processor records
Automated decisionsDecision logic, significance analysis, human review, explanations, challenge and outcome monitoring
Children/vulnerabilityAge and vulnerability analysis, safeguarding, consent where applicable, accessible redress
Public sectorProcurement, approval, project clearance, architecture, records and public-law review
Identity/biometricsIdentity authority, necessity, data protection, matching evaluation, security and redress
Finance/insurance/pensionsLicence and product scope, suitability, decisions, overrides, complaints, model validation and regulator records
Telecoms/critical serviceLicence context, resilience, service quality, incident and continuity evidence
HealthClinical purpose, SaMD status, validation, safety, professional oversight and patient rights
Content/election/IPRights clearance, consent, provenance, labelling, moderation, complaints and escalation

Tests should establish whether the specific obligation or control works. Examples:

  • Trace a data-subject request through an AI system’s data and downstream processors.
  • Reperform a significant automated decision and test human review and explanation.
  • Compare model outcomes across relevant populations or languages.
  • Trace a procurement from applicability decision through approval and acceptance.
  • Sample regulated advice, underwriting, claims or credit decisions.
  • Test incident-route selection against actual facts and notification triggers.
  • Trace synthetic content through rights, provenance, label and complaint handling.

Obtain authorisation and avoid live harm.

Raise a finding where:

  • Applicable law or sector route was missed.
  • Source status is wrong or unverified.
  • A proposed obligation is reported as current law.
  • A compliant claim lacks objective evidence.
  • An item has failed outcome testing.
  • A significant decision lacks meaningful review or redress.
  • Affected populations show material disparity.
  • A supplier prevents required access, evidence or control.
  • An N/A decision lacks a specific basis.
  • A regulator-status change invalidates the conclusion.

Consider:

  • Binding status and enforcement exposure.
  • Scale and vulnerability of affected people.
  • Significance and reversibility of the outcome.
  • Data sensitivity.
  • Licence or critical-service implications.
  • Detectability and ability to provide redress.
  • Recurrence and systemic scope.

Do not assign severity from the framework section alone.

  • Official source and status verified.
  • Evidence belongs to the selected system.
  • Regulated role and activity match.
  • Current operation, not only design, sampled.
  • Nigerian population, language and access context considered.
  • Contrary evidence retained.
  • Findings link to a legal or readiness lane.
  • Remediation has an owner and verification method.