Which legal duties does "Automatic event logging and record retention" satisfy?

It is recorded as satisfying 3 and supporting 5 duties across European Union. A mapping means the control, operated properly, does the work the duty asks for; the official text decides whether it is enough.

What evidence shows this control is operating?

AI system event logs, Log schema and retention standard and Log integrity and retention check. Owner: Engineering lead. Frequency: continuous.

Technical measure Owner: Engineering lead Continuous

Automatic event logging and record retention

Captures what an AI system did, when and with what inputs, and keeps those records long enough to reconstruct a decision, investigate an incident and demonstrate ongoing monitoring.

Source-linked Context file

Duties satisfied: 3; done properly, does the work
Duties supported: 5; contributes; the duty needs more
Jurisdictions: 1
Evidence items: 3

How is it implemented?

Engineers define a log schema for each system that covers at minimum the time of use, the version of model and configuration, the inputs or their references, the output produced and any human intervention. Logs are written automatically, protected against tampering, access-controlled and retained for a period set by the strictest applicable rule and the organisation's own needs. Deployers confirm that logs generated under their control are retained and can be handed to the provider or an authority. Retention, deletion and access are reviewed periodically and the schema is updated when the system changes.

Which legal duties does it serve?

Satisfies means the control, operated properly, does the work the duty asks for. Supports means it contributes but the duty needs more. The official text decides; open it before relying on either.

European Union 8 duties

satisfies Legal requirement confidence high
Design high-risk systems to log events automatically
EU AI Act · Article 12; Article 26(6) for deployers · applies from 2 Aug 2026

Automatic logging with a defined schema, retention and access controls.
satisfies Legal requirement confidence high
Providers must keep high-risk AI documentation for ten years
EU AI Act · Article 18 · applies from 2 Aug 2026

Retention classes and archive controls for the listed documents.
satisfies Legal requirement confidence high
Providers must retain automatically generated logs under their control
EU AI Act · Article 19 · applies from 2 Aug 2026

Retention of Article 12 logs for the required period.
supports Legal requirement confidence high
Operate a post-market monitoring system
EU AI Act · Article 72 · applies from 2 Aug 2026

Logs are the primary data source.
supports Legal requirement
Report serious incidents to market surveillance authorities
EU AI Act · Article 73 · applies from 2 Aug 2026

Logs support the investigation and report.
supports Legal requirement confidence high
Providers must supply conformity evidence and log access to authorities on request
EU AI Act · Article 21 · applies from 2 Aug 2026

Logs must be retrievable in a usable format.
supports Legal requirement
Law-enforcement deployers must obtain authorisation for post-remote biometric identification and report annually
EU AI Act · Article 26(10) · applies from 2 Aug 2026

Per-use documentation and annual reporting data.
supports Legal requirement
Deployers must explain individual decisions taken with high-risk AI on request
EU AI Act · Article 86 · applies from 2 Aug 2026

Logs supply the inputs cited in the explanation.

What evidence shows it is operating?

Evidence this control produces
Evidence	Type	What it shows
AI system event logs	Access or activity log	System-generated records of use, versions, inputs, outputs and interventions, retained for the defined period.
Log schema and retention standard	Procedure or standard operating process
Log integrity and retention check	Audit or assurance report

Owner: Engineering lead. Frequency: continuous.

Which risks does it address?

Subdomains of the MIT AI Risk Repository, with the incidents the AI Incident Database has recorded under each. Counts are live; they say how often a risk has materialised, not how well this control prevents it.

7.4 Lack of transparency or interpretability AI system safety, failures, & limitations5 incidents · 42 risk entries
6.5 Governance failure Socioeconomic & Environmental3 incidents · 61 risk entries
2.2 AI system security vulnerabilities and attacks Privacy & Security24 incidents · 112 risk entries

Which standards clauses does it correspond to?

Clause numbers only. A reference means the standard asks for overlapping work, so evidence may be reusable; it never means the standard discharges a legal duty.

Framework references
Framework	Reference	Note	Confidence
ISO/IEC 42001	Annex A.6.2.8	Recording of event logs.	high
ISO/IEC 27001	Annex A 8.15 Logging, 8.16 Monitoring activities		medium
NIST AI RMF	MEASURE 2.4; MANAGE 4.1		medium
MITRE ATLAS	AML.M0024 AI Telemetry Logging		medium

Cite this record

AIPolicyTracker (2026). “Automatic event logging and record retention”. https://aipolicytracker.org/controls/record-keeping-and-logging (accessed 24 September 2026). Data licensed CC BY 4.0.

Informational only, not legal advice. Verify every claim against the linked official sources and consult qualified counsel before acting.

Governance card

Kind: Technical measure
Owner: Engineering lead
Frequency: Continuous
Binding duties: 8 of 8
Review status: Pending human review

Confirm which of the duties above reach you (applicability check).
Assign the owner and the frequency.
Operate the control and keep the evidence listed.
Re-check when a duty changes (change log).

Related controls

AI incident management and regulatory reporting Process
Human oversight design and override procedure Process
Post-deployment monitoring and drift detection Technical measure

Report a correction How we verify

Run this control as a tracked task with Certifyi, a separate compliance execution platform. AIPolicyTracker itself stays open and independent.

Frequently asked questions

Which legal duties does "Automatic event logging and record retention" satisfy?: It is recorded as satisfying 3 and supporting 5 duties across European Union. A mapping means the control, operated properly, does the work the duty asks for; the official text decides whether it is enough.
What evidence shows this control is operating?: AI system event logs, Log schema and retention standard and Log integrity and retention check. Owner: Engineering lead. Frequency: continuous.