# Apply safeguards to solely automated decisions with significant effects

- **Record type**: Obligation
- **Instrument**: ICO Guidance on AI and data protection
- **Jurisdiction**: United Kingdom
- **Category**: human_oversight
- **Binding**: Yes
- **Provision**: UK GDPR Article 22 as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025

## In brief

Apply safeguards to solely automated decisions with significant effects is a legal requirement under the ICO AI guidance in the United Kingdom (UK GDPR Article 22 as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025). The record carries 1 evidence example and mappings to 1 framework.

## What the duty requires

Individuals have rights in relation to solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects, including being told about the decision, obtaining human intervention, and contesting it. The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 amended these rules; the reviewer must confirm the current wording.

## What an organisation does about it

Map every significant automated decision, add a human-review route and a notice to affected people.

## Controls that meet this duty

- Decision explanation, human review and appeal route (satisfies): https://aipolicytracker.org/controls/decision-explanation-and-appeal-route
- Human oversight design and override procedure (supports): https://aipolicytracker.org/controls/human-oversight-and-override
- AI interaction and use disclosure notices (supports): https://aipolicytracker.org/controls/ai-interaction-and-use-disclosure

## Parent instrument

- ICO Guidance on AI and data protection
  - Record: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/uk-ico-ai-data-protection-guidance
  - Context file: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/uk-ico-ai-data-protection-guidance.md

## Provenance

- **Permanent id**: AIPT-OBL-0078 (https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-OBL-0078; never changes or gets reused)
- **Record page**: https://aipolicytracker.org/obligations/uk-ico-automated-decision-safeguards
- **Official source**: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/artificial-intelligence/guidance-on-ai-and-data-protection/
- **Provision**: UK GDPR Article 22 as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
- **Review status**: verified
- **Confidence**: medium
- **Facts last confirmed**: 2026-09-26
- **Confirmed by**: Bhaskar Bhatt (see https://aipolicytracker.org/reviewers)
- **Retrieved**: 2026-10-27
- **Licence**: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- **Cite as**: AIPolicyTracker (2026). "Apply safeguards to solely automated decisions with significant effects (ICO AI guidance)" [AIPT-OBL-0078, verified 26 September 2026 by Bhaskar Bhatt]. https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-OBL-0078 (accessed 27 October 2026).

> This record is a structured summary with a link to the official text. It is not legal advice. Open the official source before relying on any date or duty. How current each record type must be is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/verification; what a record must carry at all is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/coverage.