Add “Self-Audit Toolkit” and Evidence Retention Features for Standards Compliance

Category: Governance & Trust

Description:

To support self-assessments and reviews aligned with DGSI or similar digital governance standards, we propose the addition of an Audit Toolkit feature within OpenPolicy.me. This feature should help institutional and civic tech users demonstrate integrity, transparency, and compliance through internal review mechanisms.

Key Functionality:

• Audit Checklist Builder based on selected standards (e.g., AI ethics, cybersecurity, data governance)

• Evidence Uploads & Tagging for screenshots, documents, or in-app usage logs

• Evidence Storage with Timestamps to support audit trails

• Progress Tracker showing completion status against standards

• Downloadable Audit Summary Report for sharing with partners, funders, or councils

Why this matters:

A growing number of civic tech platforms like OpenPolicy.me are being evaluated against public trust and digital governance frameworks. This feature helps maintain readiness for formal audits, reviews, or certifications by capturing continuous evidence and encouraging best practices in ethical development and transparency.

Linked Stakeholder Reference:

Proposed in context of discussions with Digital Governance Council (Cherlene Tay – Senior Manager, Standardization)

Links

https://dgc-cgn.org/standards/#standards


OpenPolicy.me should focus on the following key DGSI (Digital Governance Standards Institute) standards to build strong credibility and demonstrate alignment with trusted digital governance frameworks:

✅

1. DGSI 100 – Data Governance and Accountability

• Why: Ensures responsible data handling, user consent, and transparency in how legislative data and user feedback are stored and processed.

• Key Areas: Data classification, retention, lifecycle management, data subject rights.

✅

2. DGSI 200 – Cybersecurity Risk Management

• Why: Covers risk assessments, vulnerability management, and protection of platform integrity, essential for a public civic tech platform.

• Key Areas: Threat modeling, penetration testing, access control, system monitoring.

✅

3. DGSI 301 – Algorithmic Transparency and Fairness in AI

• Why: Critical if OpenPolicy.me is using NLP/AI to summarize bills or conduct sentiment analysis. Ensures decisions are explainable and non-discriminatory.

• Key Areas: Bias audits, traceability, explainability, model governance.

✅

4. DGSI 400 – Digital Trust and Citizen Experience

• Why: Focuses on inclusive design, accessibility, and transparency—key pillars of OpenPolicy’s public engagement strategy.

• Key Areas: UX equity, multi-language support, accessibility standards (WCAG), and disclosure protocols.

✅

5. DGSI 501 – Ethics and Responsible Use of Emerging Tech

• Why: Supports positioning the platform as a values-driven civic tool. Applies to use of AI, predictive analytics, or participatory decision-making.

• Key Areas: Ethical review boards, audit logging for AI decisions, community oversight.

Aligning with even 2–3 of these standards through a self-assessment and publishing a public statement of conformance can dramatically elevate OpenPolicy’s perceived legitimacy.