MOPC-App/docs/gdpr/ai-data-processing.md

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AI Data Processing - GDPR Compliance Documentation

Document Version: 2.0 Last Updated: February 2026 Classification: Internal / Compliance Parent Document: Platform GDPR Compliance


Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Definitions
  3. Legal Framework
  4. AI Processing Activities
  5. Data Minimisation & Anonymisation
  6. Technical Implementation
  7. Subprocessor: OpenAI
  8. Data Subject Rights
  9. Risk Assessment
  10. Audit & Monitoring
  11. Incident Response
  12. Compliance Checklist
  13. Contact Information

1. Executive Summary

This document describes how the Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge (MOPC) Platform uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) services while maintaining strict compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Monaco Law 1.565 of December 3, 2024.

Key Compliance Measures

Measure Implementation
Data Minimisation Only necessary, non-identifying data sent to AI
Anonymisation All personal identifiers stripped before AI processing
EU Data Residency AI processing occurs within EU (Ireland)
Zero Data Retention AI provider does not store data at rest
Human Oversight AI provides recommendations only; humans make final decisions
Audit Trail All AI operations logged for accountability

Fundamental Principle

No personal data is transmitted to AI services. All data sent to OpenAI is fully anonymised, meaning it cannot be attributed to any identifiable natural person. Anonymised data is not considered personal data under GDPR.


2. Definitions

In addition to the definitions in the Platform GDPR Compliance document, the following AI-specific definitions apply:

Term Definition
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer systems capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as pattern recognition, natural language understanding, and decision-making support.
Large Language Model (LLM) A type of AI model trained on large amounts of text data to understand and generate human language. OpenAI's GPT models are examples of LLMs.
AI Service A component of the Platform that uses AI to process data and provide recommendations or analysis.
Anonymised Data Data that has been processed in such a way that the data subject is not or no longer identifiable. Under GDPR, anonymised data is not personal data.
Pseudonymised Data Data processed so that it can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without additional information kept separately. Unlike anonymised data, pseudonymised data is still personal data under GDPR.
Token A unit of text processed by an LLM. Approximately 1 token = 4 characters in English. Token usage determines AI processing costs.
Zero Data Retention (ZDR) A configuration where the AI provider does not store input or output data at rest after processing is complete.
EU Data Residency A configuration ensuring that data is processed within the European Union and does not leave EU jurisdiction.
Prompt The text input sent to an AI model, consisting of instructions and data to be processed.
Completion The text output generated by an AI model in response to a prompt.

AI-assisted processing activities are conducted under the following legal bases:

Activity Legal Basis GDPR Article Justification
AI Project Filtering Legitimate Interests Art. 6(1)(f) Efficient evaluation of large application volumes
AI Jury Assignment Legitimate Interests Art. 6(1)(f) Optimal matching of expertise to projects
AI Award Eligibility Legitimate Interests Art. 6(1)(f) Consistent application of eligibility criteria
AI Mentor Matching Legitimate Interests Art. 6(1)(f) Effective mentor-project pairing

3.2 Legitimate Interests Assessment

A Legitimate Interests Assessment (LIA) has been conducted for AI processing:

Purpose

To efficiently process and evaluate competition applications using AI-assisted analysis and matching.

Legitimate Interest Identified

  • Organisational efficiency: Processing 100+ projects manually is impractical
  • Consistency: AI applies criteria uniformly across all applications
  • Expertise matching: AI identifies optimal reviewer-project and mentor-project pairings
  • Cost-effectiveness: Reduced administrative burden enables focus on substantive evaluation

Necessity

  • AI processing is necessary to achieve these interests at scale
  • No less intrusive means would achieve the same objectives efficiently
  • Human review alone cannot process the volume within required timeframes

Balancing Test

  • Risk to data subjects: Minimal to none - data is fully anonymised before AI processing
  • Reasonable expectations: Participants expect efficient, fair evaluation processes
  • Relationship: Direct relationship through competition participation
  • Safeguards in place:
    • Full anonymisation (not pseudonymisation)
    • EU data residency
    • Zero data retention at AI provider
    • Human oversight of all AI recommendations
    • Right to object and request manual processing

Conclusion

The legitimate interests of the organisation are not overridden by the interests, rights, or freedoms of the data subjects. Processing may proceed with the implemented safeguards.

3.3 Article 22 - Automated Decision-Making

Statement: The Platform's AI processing does not constitute automated decision-making as defined in Article 22 of the GDPR.

Article 22(1) states: "The data subject shall have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning him or her or similarly significantly affects him or her."

Why Article 22 does not apply:

  1. Not solely automated: All AI outputs are recommendations reviewed and approved by human administrators. No decision is made without human involvement.

  2. No legal effects: AI recommendations do not directly produce legal effects on data subjects. Humans make the final decisions about project advancement, jury assignments, and award eligibility.

  3. No significant effects: The interim recommendations produced by AI do not, by themselves, significantly affect data subjects. Only the final human decisions have such effects.

  4. Anonymised data: The data processed by AI is anonymised, meaning Article 22 protections for personal data processing do not apply to the AI processing stage itself.

Safeguards implemented regardless:

  • Human review of all AI recommendations before implementation
  • Right to request explanation of AI-assisted decisions
  • Right to request fully manual processing
  • Audit logging of AI recommendations and human decisions

4. AI Processing Activities

4.1 Overview of AI Services

The Platform uses AI for four distinct processing activities:

Service Purpose Input Data Output
Project Filtering Evaluate projects against admin-defined criteria Anonymised project data Pass/fail recommendations with confidence scores
Jury Assignment Match jury expertise to project topics Anonymised juror and project data Assignment suggestions with match scores
Award Eligibility Determine eligibility for special awards Anonymised project data Eligibility determinations with reasoning
Mentor Matching Recommend mentors for projects Anonymised mentor and project data Ranked mentor recommendations

4.2 AI Project Filtering

Purpose: Assist administrators in screening projects against specific criteria (e.g., "Projects must have ocean conservation focus", "Exclude projects without descriptions").

Process:

  1. Administrator defines criteria in plain language
  2. System anonymises project data (see Section 5)
  3. Anonymised data sent to AI with criteria
  4. AI returns recommendations with confidence scores
  5. Administrator reviews and approves/modifies recommendations
  6. Results applied to projects

Human Oversight: Administrator reviews all AI recommendations before application. Projects flagged by AI as "uncertain" require manual review.

4.3 AI Jury Assignment

Purpose: Suggest optimal juror-project pairings based on expertise alignment.

Process:

  1. System anonymises juror expertise tags and project data
  2. Anonymised data sent to AI with assignment constraints
  3. AI returns suggested pairings with match scores and reasoning
  4. Administrator reviews suggestions
  5. Administrator approves, modifies, or rejects assignments
  6. Approved assignments created in system

Human Oversight: All assignments require explicit administrator approval. AI suggestions can be partially accepted or entirely rejected.

4.4 AI Award Eligibility

Purpose: Assist in determining which projects meet special award criteria.

Process:

  1. Award criteria defined (may include rule-based and AI-interpreted criteria)
  2. System anonymises project data
  3. Anonymised data sent to AI with criteria
  4. AI returns eligibility determinations with reasoning
  5. Administrator reviews determinations
  6. Final eligibility set by administrator

Human Oversight: Administrator has final authority on all eligibility decisions. AI reasoning is transparent and reviewable.

4.5 AI Mentor Matching

Purpose: Recommend suitable mentors for selected projects based on expertise.

Process:

  1. System anonymises mentor profiles and project data
  2. Anonymised data sent to AI
  3. AI returns ranked mentor recommendations with reasoning
  4. Administrator reviews recommendations
  5. Assignments made by administrator or offered to mentors

Human Oversight: Mentor assignments require administrator approval and mentor acceptance.


5. Data Minimisation & Anonymisation

5.1 Principles Applied

The Platform applies the following GDPR principles to AI processing:

Principle GDPR Article Implementation
Data Minimisation Art. 5(1)(c) Only necessary fields sent; descriptions truncated
Purpose Limitation Art. 5(1)(b) Data used only for specific AI task
Storage Limitation Art. 5(1)(e) Zero data retention at AI provider
Integrity & Confidentiality Art. 5(1)(f) TLS encryption; anonymisation

5.2 What is Sent to AI

The following anonymised data elements may be sent to AI services:

Data Element Anonymisation Method Purpose
Project ID Replaced with sequential ID (P1, P2, etc.) Reference only
Project title PII patterns removed Content analysis
Project description Truncated (300-500 chars), PII removed Criteria matching
Competition category Sent as-is (enum value) Filtering criteria
Ocean issue Sent as-is (enum value) Topic matching
Country Sent as-is (country name) Geographic filtering
Region/Zone Sent as-is (zone name) Regional eligibility
Institution Sent as-is (institution name) Student project identification
Tags Sent as-is (keywords) Topic matching
Founded year Year only (not full date) Age-based filtering
Team size Count only (no member details) Team requirements
File count Count only (no file content) Document requirements
File types Type names only File requirement checks
Mentorship preference Boolean flag Mentorship filtering
Submission source Enum value Source filtering
Submission date Date only (no time) Deadline checks
Juror expertise tags Sent as-is (keywords) Expertise matching
Juror assignment count Number only Workload balancing

5.3 What is NEVER Sent to AI

The following data elements are never transmitted to AI services:

Data Element Reason Alternative
Personal names PII - directly identifying N/A
Email addresses PII - directly identifying N/A
Phone numbers PII - directly identifying N/A
Physical addresses PII - directly identifying Country/region only
Team member details PII - identifying individuals Team size count only
External URLs Could lead to identifying information Removed
Real database IDs Could be cross-referenced Sequential anonymous IDs
File contents May contain PII File type and count only
Internal comments May contain PII references N/A
Profile photos Biometric data N/A
IP addresses PII - indirectly identifying N/A

5.4 PII Detection and Removal

Before any data is sent to AI, the following patterns are detected and removed:

Email addresses:     [a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}
Phone numbers:       Various international formats
URLs:                https?://[^\s]+
Social Security:     \d{3}-\d{2}-\d{4}
IP addresses:        \d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}

Detected patterns are replaced with placeholders (e.g., [email removed], [url removed]).

5.5 Anonymisation vs. Pseudonymisation

Critical distinction:

Aspect Pseudonymisation Anonymisation (Our Approach)
Definition Data can be attributed to individual with additional info Data cannot be attributed to any individual
GDPR Status Still personal data Not personal data
Example User123 → Real user (with mapping) P1, P2 → No mapping to individuals
Our implementation Not used Used

The Platform uses anonymisation, not pseudonymisation. The sequential IDs (P1, P2) used in AI processing cannot be mapped back to individuals by the AI provider or any external party. The mapping exists only within the Platform's secure environment and is used solely to apply AI recommendations to the correct records.

5.6 Validation Before Transmission

Every data payload is validated before transmission to AI:

// Executed before EVERY AI API call
function enforceGDPRCompliance(data: unknown[]): void {
  for (const item of data) {
    const { valid, violations } = validateNoPersonalData(item);
    if (!valid) {
      throw new Error(`GDPR compliance check failed: ${violations.join(', ')}`);
    }
  }
}

If validation fails, the AI operation is aborted and an error is logged. This provides defence-in-depth against accidental PII transmission.


6. Technical Implementation

6.1 Architecture Overview

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      Platform (Austria, EU)                      │
│                                                                  │
│  ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐       │
│  │ AI Service   │───▶│ Anonymiser   │───▶│ Validator    │       │
│  │ (filtering,  │    │ (strip PII,  │    │ (verify no   │       │
│  │  assignment) │    │  replace IDs)│    │  PII remains)│       │
│  └──────────────┘    └──────────────┘    └──────┬───────┘       │
│                                                  │               │
│                                                  ▼               │
│                                          ┌──────────────┐       │
│                                          │ API Client   │       │
│                                          │ (TLS 1.2+)   │       │
│                                          └──────┬───────┘       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────┘
                                                  │
                                                  │ HTTPS (TLS 1.2+)
                                                  │ Anonymised data only
                                                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      OpenAI (Dublin, Ireland, EU)                │
│                                                                  │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │                    GPT Model Processing                   │   │
│  │                                                          │   │
│  │  • EU Data Residency enabled                            │   │
│  │  • Zero Data Retention (ZDR)                            │   │
│  │  • Data NOT used for training                           │   │
│  │  • AES-256 encryption at rest (during processing)       │   │
│  │  • SOC 2 Type 2 compliant                               │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                                                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

6.2 Encryption

Stage Encryption Standard
Data at rest (Platform) AES-256 Database encryption
Data in transit TLS 1.2+ HTTPS to OpenAI API
Data at rest (OpenAI) AES-256 OpenAI infrastructure
Data at rest after processing N/A Zero Data Retention

6.3 Batching Strategy

To optimise efficiency and reduce API calls, data is processed in batches:

Service Batch Size Rationale
Project Filtering 20 projects Balance throughput and cost
Jury Assignment 15 projects Include all jurors per batch
Award Eligibility 20 projects Consistent with filtering
Mentor Matching 15 projects Include all mentors per batch

Batching reduces the number of API calls and associated costs while maintaining processing efficiency.

6.4 Description Truncation

Project descriptions are truncated to limit data exposure and token consumption:

Context Limit Rationale
Assignment 300 characters Sufficient for topic identification
Filtering 500 characters More context needed for criteria
Eligibility 400 characters Balanced approach
Mentor Matching 350 characters Focus on topic alignment

Truncation reduces:

  • Data exposure (less text transmitted)
  • Processing costs (fewer tokens)
  • Risk of PII in longer texts

7. Subprocessor: OpenAI

7.1 Subprocessor Details

Field Value
Legal Entity OpenAI, Inc.
EU Entity OpenAI Ireland Limited
Registered Address 3180 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
EU Processing Location Dublin, Ireland
Role Data Processor (for anonymised data)
Service Used OpenAI API (Chat Completions)

7.2 Data Processing Agreement

Aspect Status
DPA Available Yes - OpenAI Data Processing Addendum
SCCs Included Yes - EU Standard Contractual Clauses
Current Status Using standard API Terms; DPA execution recommended

Recommendation: Execute the formal OpenAI Data Processing Addendum for enhanced contractual protection, even though only anonymised data is transmitted.

Reference: OpenAI Data Processing Addendum

7.3 EU Data Residency

OpenAI offers EU data residency for API customers:

Feature Details
Processing Location Dublin, Ireland (EU)
Configuration Per-project setting in OpenAI platform
Data Flows Requests processed entirely within EU
Availability Available for API Platform customers

Status: EU data residency should be configured for all MOPC API projects.

Reference: OpenAI EU Data Residency

7.4 Zero Data Retention

Aspect Details
Default Retention 30 days (for abuse monitoring)
ZDR Option Available for eligible endpoints
With EU Residency Automatic ZDR for EU projects
Training Data API data NOT used for training (default)

With EU data residency enabled, data is processed in-region and not stored at rest on OpenAI's servers.

7.5 Security Certifications

OpenAI maintains the following security certifications:

Certification Scope
SOC 2 Type 2 Security, availability, confidentiality
ISO/IEC 27001 Information security management
ISO/IEC 27017 Cloud security controls
ISO/IEC 27018 PII protection in cloud
ISO/IEC 27701 Privacy information management

7.6 Subprocessor Due Diligence

Assessment Area Finding
Security posture Strong - multiple certifications
Privacy practices GDPR-aligned - DPA available
Data handling Configurable - EU residency, ZDR available
Training data Acceptable - API data not used by default
Incident response Documented - breach notification procedures in DPA

Conclusion: OpenAI is an acceptable subprocessor for anonymised data processing with appropriate configurations enabled.


8. Data Subject Rights

8.1 Rights Applicable to AI Processing

Right Applicability Explanation
Access Limited Anonymised data sent to AI is not personal data
Rectification N/A Anonymised data cannot be corrected as it's not attributed
Erasure N/A No personal data stored at AI provider
Restriction Via objection Can request exclusion from AI processing
Portability N/A Anonymised AI inputs are not personal data
Object Yes Can object to AI-assisted processing
Automated decisions N/A No solely automated decisions made

8.2 Right to Object to AI Processing

Data subjects may object to having their project data processed by AI systems.

Procedure:

  1. Submit objection to gdpr@monaco-opc.com
  2. Objection acknowledged within 72 hours
  3. Project excluded from AI processing
  4. Manual review conducted instead

Impact of objection:

  • Project will not be processed by AI filtering
  • Jury assignment suggestions generated manually or algorithmically
  • Award eligibility determined manually
  • Mentor matching done manually
  • No disadvantage to the data subject

8.3 Right to Explanation

Data subjects may request an explanation of how AI recommendations affected decisions about their project.

Information provided:

  • Whether AI was used in processing their application
  • What criteria the AI evaluated against
  • The AI's recommendation (if approved by human reviewer)
  • The human decision that was ultimately made
  • The reasoning provided by the human decision-maker

Note: The actual AI model's internal reasoning is not interpretable. Explanations are based on the prompts used, the recommendations output, and the human reviewer's documented rationale.

8.4 Right to Human Review

All AI recommendations are subject to human review before implementation. Data subjects may also request:

  • Confirmation that a human reviewed the AI recommendation
  • The identity of the human reviewer (role, not personal identity)
  • The outcome of the human review

9. Risk Assessment

9.1 Data Protection Impact Assessment Summary

A DPIA has been conducted for AI processing activities. Key findings:

Risk Category Risk Likelihood Severity Mitigation Residual Risk
PII Exposure Personal data sent to AI provider Very Low Medium Anonymisation, validation Very Low
Re-identification AI provider re-identifies individuals Very Low Medium Full anonymisation (not pseudonymisation) Very Low
Data Breach at AI Provider Breach exposes data Low Low Anonymised data only; ZDR Very Low
Algorithmic Bias AI recommendations are biased Medium Medium Human oversight, diverse training data Low
Incorrect Recommendations AI makes errors Medium Low Human review before action Low
Model Training on Data Data used to train AI Very Low Medium Contractual prohibition; opt-out default Very Low

9.2 Risk Mitigation Summary

Risk Primary Mitigation Secondary Mitigation
PII Exposure Automated anonymisation Pre-transmission validation
Re-identification Anonymisation (not pseudonymisation) No additional data sent
Data Breach Zero data retention Anonymised data only
Algorithmic Bias Human oversight Documented criteria
Incorrect Recommendations Mandatory human review Algorithmic fallback
Model Training Contractual terms Technical opt-out

9.3 Residual Risk Statement

After implementation of all mitigation measures, the residual risk of GDPR non-compliance in AI processing is assessed as Very Low. The primary reason is that no personal data is transmitted to the AI provider - only fully anonymised data that cannot be attributed to any identifiable natural person.


10. Audit & Monitoring

10.1 Audit Logging

All AI operations are logged in the AIUsageLog table:

Field Purpose
createdAt Timestamp of AI operation
userId Administrator who initiated operation
action Type of AI operation (FILTERING, ASSIGNMENT, etc.)
entityType Related entity type (Round, Award, etc.)
entityId Related entity ID
model AI model used
promptTokens Input tokens consumed
completionTokens Output tokens consumed
totalTokens Total tokens consumed
estimatedCostUsd Estimated cost in USD
batchSize Number of items in batch
itemsProcessed Number of items successfully processed
status SUCCESS, PARTIAL, or ERROR
errorMessage Error details if applicable

10.2 Monitoring Metrics

Metric Alert Threshold Purpose
Error rate >10% in 24 hours Detect AI service issues
Token consumption >$100/day Cost control
Validation failures Any Detect PII leakage attempts
Processing time >30 seconds/batch Performance monitoring

10.3 Regular Reviews

Review Frequency Scope
AI usage audit Monthly Token usage, costs, error rates
Anonymisation validation Quarterly Sample review of AI inputs
DPIA review Annually Risk reassessment
Subprocessor review Annually OpenAI compliance status

10.4 Audit Trail Retention

Log Type Retention Purpose
AI usage logs 12 months Operational monitoring, cost tracking
Audit logs 12 months Security and compliance
Error logs 30 days Debugging

11. Incident Response

11.1 AI-Specific Incident Types

Incident Type Description Response
PII Transmission Personal data accidentally sent to AI Immediate: Disable AI; Investigate; Assess breach
Validation Failure Pre-transmission check fails Automatic: Block transmission; Log; Alert
AI Service Breach OpenAI reports data breach Assess impact (likely none - anonymised data); Document
Model Misbehaviour AI produces inappropriate content Disable AI; Review outputs; Resume with modifications

11.2 PII Transmission Response Procedure

If personal data is accidentally transmitted to AI:

  1. Immediate (0-1 hour):

    • Disable all AI processing
    • Preserve logs and evidence
    • Alert Data Protection Contact
  2. Assessment (1-24 hours):

    • Determine what data was sent
    • Identify affected data subjects
    • Assess risk level
    • Contact OpenAI if deletion needed
  3. Notification (if required):

    • Follow breach notification procedure
    • APDP notification if risk to data subjects
    • Data subject notification if high risk
  4. Remediation:

    • Fix root cause
    • Enhance validation
    • Resume AI with additional safeguards
    • Document lessons learned

11.3 Contact OpenAI

For urgent data-related issues:

  • OpenAI Trust & Safety: Via API dashboard
  • DPA-related requests: Via contract terms

12. Compliance Checklist

12.1 Technical Compliance

Requirement Status Evidence
Data anonymisation implemented Complete anonymization.ts
PII validation before transmission Complete validateNoPersonalData()
EU data residency configured To verify OpenAI project settings
Zero data retention enabled To verify OpenAI project settings
TLS encryption for API calls Complete HTTPS enforcement
Audit logging implemented Complete AIUsageLog table
Error handling and fallbacks Complete Algorithmic fallbacks

12.2 Organisational Compliance

Requirement Status Evidence
Legal basis documented Complete This document, Section 3
DPIA conducted Complete This document, Section 9
Subprocessor due diligence Complete This document, Section 7
⚠️ DPA executed with OpenAI Recommended Standard API terms in use
Data subject rights procedures Complete Section 8
Incident response procedures Complete Section 11
Staff awareness Ongoing Training programme

12.3 Documentation Compliance

Document Status Location
Platform GDPR compliance Complete docs/gdpr/platform-gdpr-compliance.md
AI data processing documentation Complete This document
AI system architecture Complete docs/architecture/ai-system.md
AI services reference Complete docs/architecture/ai-services.md
Processing records (ROPA) To maintain As required by Art. 30

13. Contact Information

13.1 Data Protection Contact

Email: gdpr@monaco-opc.com

For:

  • Data subject rights requests related to AI processing
  • Questions about AI data handling
  • Reporting AI-related incidents

13.2 Technical Contact

For AI system technical issues, contact the Platform administrators.

13.3 Supervisory Authority

Autorité de Protection des Données Personnelles (APDP) Principality of Monaco


Appendices

Appendix A: Sample Anonymised Data

Example of data sent to AI (actual personal data replaced with anonymised equivalents):

{
  "projects": [
    {
      "project_id": "P1",
      "title": "Coral Reef Restoration Initiative",
      "description": "Our project focuses on restoring damaged coral reefs using innovative bio-engineering techniques...",
      "category": "STARTUP",
      "ocean_issue": "HABITAT_RESTORATION",
      "country": "Italy",
      "region": "Mediterranean",
      "institution": null,
      "tags": ["coral", "reef", "restoration", "marine biology"],
      "founded_year": 2022,
      "team_size": 4,
      "has_description": true,
      "file_count": 3,
      "file_types": ["PITCH_DECK", "VIDEO_PITCH"],
      "wants_mentorship": true,
      "submission_source": "MANUAL",
      "submitted_date": "2026-01-15"
    }
  ]
}

Note: No names, emails, phone numbers, URLs, or real IDs are included.


Document Control

Version Date Changes
1.0 January 2025 Initial version
2.0 February 2026 Comprehensive revision: Added definitions, expanded legal framework, detailed technical implementation, enhanced risk assessment, added compliance checklist