TOTO-REX / FOUNDER’S FIRST AI LITERACY FOLDER

Build and operate AI with safeguards at each step

Adeiladu a rhedeg gwasanaeth AI, gam wrth gam

Canllaw ymarferol i sylfaenwyr, ar gyfer y DU a’r UE. Darllenwch bob cam gyda’i fesurau diogelu cyn defnyddio data go iawn neu roi mwy o bwerau i’r system.

English stays visible. The companion summaries explain the same UK and EU workflow; their language does not change the legal jurisdiction.

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01 · Choose what AI is allowed to do

Penderfynu beth gaiff AI ei wneud

Disgrifiwch y dasg, y mewnbwn, y bobl a’r canlyniad a chymharwch waith llaw, API, chwilio dogfennau a hyfforddi. Enwch berson cyfrifol a llwybr at gymorth dynol a daliwch brawf byw yn ôl os oes gwaharddiad posibl neu weithred ddifrifol heb reolaeth.

When Pre-seed, seed, change · Lead Founder and product lead

Do this

Describe one task, input, audience, location and consequence. Compare a manual process, bought API, retrieval from approved documents, fine-tuning and training from scratch. Choose the smallest option that meets the need.

Safeguards to apply

Set forbidden uses, limits on autonomous action and a route to a person. Identify controller/processor roles for each purpose and EU AI Act roles and scope. Screen prohibited use, significant decisions and sector rules.

Evidence and a useful test

Draw one input-to-deletion map. Ask a colleague to describe exactly what the AI may do and who can stop it. Keep the version and decision record.

Pause or reopen if

Unresolved prohibition, unclear responsible organisation or no safe fallback. Reopen when a draft suggestion becomes a payment, rejection or other consequential action.

Working documents and sourcesGDPR · UKGDPR · AIA2 · AIA5 · AIA25 · NCSC

02 · Clear the records and rights

Gwirio data a hawliau

Rhestrwch y ffynonellau, atodiadau a thrwyddedau a gwiriwch ganiatâd hyfforddi, chwilio a gwerthuso ar wahân. Cofnodwch y sail gyfreithiol a’r amodau ychwanegol a chwblhewch asesiad effaith gofynnol ac unrhyw ymgynghoriad ymlaen llaw angenrheidiol cyn prosesu.

When Before real data · Lead Data lead and privacy lead

Do this

Inventory each dataset, attachment, label, prompt and intended reuse. Separate training, fine-tuning, retrieval, evaluation and output display. Identify collection authority, licence, confidentiality, Article 6 basis and additional conditions where needed.

Safeguards to apply

Check health, uniquely identifying biometrics, genetic and other Article 9 information, Article 10 records, children and people at heightened risk. Remove unnecessary fields. Screen and complete a required DPIA before processing; consult the authority first if high residual risk remains.

Evidence and a useful test

Trace one sample back to lawful provenance. Test that an excluded medical attachment cannot enter logs, retrieval or the training export. Record national lists and consultation decisions.

Pause or reopen if

A necessary permission or legal condition is missing, a required DPIA is incomplete, or unresolved high residual risk requires prior consultation.

Working documents and sourcesGDPR · UKGDPR · CNIL · ICOAI · EDPB28

03 · Configure the cloud you actually buy

Gosod y gwasanaeth cwmwl yn ddiogel

Cofnodwch y cyflenwr, y cynllun, y rhanbarth a lleoliadau logiau, copïau wrth gefn, cymorth a mynediad o bell. Defnyddiwch ddilysu cryf a’r hawliau lleiaf a daliwch ddata byw yn ôl nes bod telerau prosesu, trosglwyddo a storio preifat wedi’u gwirio.

When Procurement and hosting · Lead Technical lead and procurement

Do this

Name the contracting entity, product, paid plan, region and subprocessors. Map where prompts, files, weights, logs, telemetry, support and backups go, including disaster recovery and remote access. Set the division of responsibility between supplier and company.

Safeguards to apply

Use individual admin accounts, strong authentication, least privilege, restricted storage, encryption and managed secrets. Assess the actual transfer path, supplier role and applicable mechanism. A location selection alone leaves questions about other services and access.

Evidence and a useful test

Retain dated terms, subprocessor list, configuration export, transfer assessment and owner. Test a private object with an unauthenticated request and demonstrate that a developer cannot read production records without approval.

Pause or reopen if

Unknown material data paths, publicly readable private storage, uncontrolled admin access, or missing required processor/transfer terms.

Working documents and sourcesGDPR · UKGDPR · CLOUD · ICO28 · TRANSFER

04 · Put a controlled service between your app and the API

Rheoli’r cysylltiad API

Cadwch allweddi cyfrinachol ar y gweinydd a gwiriwch hawl pob defnyddiwr i’r cofnod a’r offeryn ar bob cais. Cyfyngwch ar gostau a chyrchfannau ac atal gweithred ddyblyg a pheidiwch â lansio os gall testun y model sbarduno cam heb ganiatâd.

When Build · Lead Engineering and security

Do this

Keep provider secrets on the server. Authenticate the user and independently enforce tenant, object and tool permissions on every request. Limit inputs, outputs, spend and execution time. Record provider model and configuration.

Safeguards to apply

Treat retrieved text, model output and external callbacks as untrusted. Validate output before rendering or execution. Use safe rendering, destination allowlists, signed callbacks where supported, replay protection and idempotency for consequential actions. Redact telemetry and debugging output.

Evidence and a useful test

Use fictional accounts A and B. Try a B document ID as A. Re-send a test request and confirm no duplicate refund. Rotate a test key, deny a forbidden destination and inspect an actual error log for secrets.

Pause or reopen if

A client can choose its own unverified tenant ID, model text can trigger an unauthorised tool, an exposed secret is live, or retry can duplicate a consequential action.

Working documents and sourcesGDPR · UKGDPR · NCSC · OWASPAPI

05 · Constrain retrieval and indexing

Cyfyngu ar chwilio a mynegeio

Mynegeiwch ffynonellau cymeradwy yn unig gyda pherchennog, caniatâd, dyddiad dod i ben a rheol mynediad. Defnyddiwch ddau gwsmer ffug i brofi chwilio, sgwrsio, dyfyniadau ac allforio a stopiwch os yw data cwsmer arall neu ddogfen wedi’i dirymu yn ymddangos.

When Build or add company knowledge · Lead Engineering and data owner

Do this

Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) finds documents and gives excerpts to a model. Index only approved sources with an owner, permission, expiry and access rule. Enforce those rules before retrieval and again for any onward action.

Safeguards to apply

Keep customer boundaries in the storage and query controls. Treat embeddings, snippets, caches and file names as potentially sensitive. Remove hidden text and secrets. Test what happens after a document is deleted or a person loses access.

Evidence and a useful test

With fictional markers, verify that A cannot retrieve B through search, chat, citations or export. Delete one source, refresh its index and cache, then confirm it is no longer retrievable within the approved deletion timetable.

Pause or reopen if

Cross-customer retrieval, unknown source rights, stale revoked content, or a document instruction capable of changing tool permissions.

Working documents and sourcesGDPR · EDPB28 · NCSC

06 · Approve the training run before it starts

Cymeradwyo cyn hyfforddi

Cofnodwch fersiynau’r data a’r model, hawliau a labelu a chadwch gofnodion hyfforddi a gwerthuso ar wahân. Profwch ddata wedi’i lygru, cofio ac echdynnu gwybodaeth a diogelwch bwysau a logiau’r model a daliwch gyhoeddi yn ôl os yw hawliau, rôl neu risg yn aneglur.

When Train or fine-tune · Lead ML lead, data lead and legal reviewer

Do this

State what training changes and why an existing model or retrieval is inadequate. Freeze a lawful dataset version, licence and model version. Document filters, labels, human annotation access, compute and data locations. Keep training and evaluation records separate, and split by person, entity or time where needed to prevent leakage.

Safeguards to apply

Test poisoning, memorisation, extraction, unfair errors, secrecy and ability to honour rights. Restrict weights, checkpoints, adapters and experiment logs. Verify code and dependencies before loading. Record actual rights and practical deletion limits. Reassess EU model-provider and system-provider roles when modifying or publishing.

Evidence and a useful test

Retain hashes, source permissions, sampling method, held-out tests, annotation controls and model card. Run controlled synthetic-marker extraction tests. Record weaknesses and residual uncertainty, including why a pass is insufficient to establish anonymity.

Pause or reopen if

Unlawful or untraceable inputs, evaluation contamination, unexplained sensitive-data memorisation, unresolved high-risk processing, or publication beyond the assessed rights and role.

Working documents and sourcesGDPR · CNIL · EDPB28 · ICOAI · GPAI · NCSC

07 · Evaluate and authorise red-team tests

Profi o fewn cwmpas awdurdodedig

Profwch y gwasanaeth cyfan gyda cheisiadau heriol diogel a chofnodion ffug neu a ganiateir yn gyfreithlon. Ysgrifennwch y targedau, y caniatâd, y terfyn cost a’r signal stop a pheidiwch â phrofi gwasanaeth allanol heb ganiatâd cyn cywiro ac ailbrofi.

When Offline validation, before live trial · Lead Security lead and authorised tester

Do this

First test the exact assembled service on held-out fictional or lawfully authorised records. Have a checker challenge unsafe requests, document instructions, customer boundaries, data extraction, misleading citations, long inputs, languages, outages and tool permissions.

Safeguards to apply

Set scope and written authority for each asset, time, tester, method, data and recipient. Get necessary cloud/SaaS permission. Set rate and spend limits, stop signal, evidence security and a process for unexpected real data. Test actual permissions and interfaces as well as the model.

Evidence and a useful test

Keep scenario, expected result, observed result, severity, evidence ID, defect owner and clean-version retest. Include false negatives and false positives with denominators and group context. Use a distinct challenge set after repair.

Pause or reopen if

Unauthorised target, real data exposure or service disruption outside scope, cross-tenant disclosure, critical uncontained defect or no independent check of a serious risk.

Working documents and sourcesNCSC · CMA · GDPR

08 · Plan A/B testing before assignment

Cynllunio prawf A/B ymlaen llaw

Pennwch y ddwy fersiwn, y dyraniad, y sampl, yr amser a’r mesurau budd a niwed cyn cynnwys pobl. Gwiriwch sail defnyddio data a rheolau storio neu ddarllen ar ddyfeisiau, hysbysiadau a chydsyniad neu eithriad a pheidiwch â thrin sampl fach ansicr yn brawf pendant.

When Controlled live trial · Lead Product experiment owner and privacy lead

Do this

Define the question, version A and B, intended sample, assignment unit, exposure cap, duration, outcome, harm measures and analysis plan. A shadow test can check a new system without allowing its output to affect the person, but still requires a lawful data route.

Safeguards to apply

Check GDPR purpose, basis, notice and DPIA. Assess device storage/access separately under UK PECR or the relevant EU national rule. Check any narrow exception and its conditions. Keep safeguards for all groups, minimise identifiers and provide appropriate objection or withdrawal routes.

Evidence and a useful test

Before launch record eligibility, power or precision rationale, randomisation, exclusions and stop rules. Track harm, missing outcomes and complaints alongside benefit. Show counts and uncertainty; an inconclusive small sample stays inconclusive.

Pause or reopen if

Missing applicable notice, consent or exception conditions, unsafe effect on a person, material imbalance, outcome leakage, breached stop rule or collecting sensitive traits without a lawful route.

Working documents and sourcesGDPR · PECR · ICOAB · EPRIV

09 · Approve the exact release and practise recovery

Lansio’r fersiwn a brofwyd

Cymeradwywch y fersiwn, y gosodiadau a’r defnydd a gwiriwch hysbysiadau, tystiolaeth honiadau a’r llwybr digwyddiadau. Gwahanwch brawf a chynhyrchu a dangoswch ddychwelyd at wasanaeth diogel a daliwch lansio yn ôl os oes gofyniad neu ailbrawf critigol ar agor.

When Pre-launch and launch · Lead Accountable founder and release lead

Do this

Release the tested version, configuration, provider plan and permitted uses. Verify relevant legal notices, claims evidence, sector conditions, applicable EU AI Act duties and the incident route. Start within a bounded audience and prove rollback.

Safeguards to apply

Separate test and production, restrict deployment and administrative changes, verify build and dependencies, protect production credentials and approve who may enable an automatic action. Set alerts for disclosure, unsafe outputs, failed handoff, latency and costs.

Evidence and a useful test

Use the sign-off form. Record evidence IDs, limits and named owners. Practise switching back to the prior safe service and contacting the duty lead. Conditional approval requires its safeguards already to be operating.

Pause or reopen if

A prerequisite, authorisation or critical retest remains open, no one can stop the service, or the release differs materially from the tested version.

Working documents and sourcesGDPR · NCSC · AIA25 · AIA50

10 · Monitor the system and act on change

Monitro gweithrediad a newid

Dilynwch wallau, cwynion, ymyriadau dynol, costau a newidiadau cyflenwyr ac ailaseswch fodel, diben neu farchnad newydd. Cyfyngwch ar logiau a diogelwch dystiolaeth a gwiriwch ddyletswyddau’r prosesydd a’r rheolydd a phenderfyniadau hysbysu’r awdurdod a’r bobl ar wahân.

When Operate and scale · Lead Operations with privacy and engineering deputies

Do this

Monitor sampled outputs, complaints, urgent misses, overrides, retrieval failures, drift, spend and provider changes. Track by relevant language and context without unjustified sensitive-data collection. Reassess a new model, market, audience, supplier term or purpose before extending approval.

Safeguards to apply

Limit logging to necessary evidence with defined access and retention. Link rights requests to prompts, outputs, scores, source records and suppliers. On a suspected breach, contain, preserve evidence and promptly assess roles and notification. A processor and controller have different duties and awareness times.

Evidence and a useful test

Keep a change and incident log with decisions. Drill a weekend event and verify secure escalation. The controller records each personal data breach and the reporting decision; assess regulator and affected-person thresholds separately.

Pause or reopen if

Uncontained serious incident, repeated harm beyond threshold, vendor reuse or transfer change, ineffective human review or a new use beyond approval.

Working documents and sourcesGDPR · UKGDPR · EDPBBREACH · ICOBREACH · NCSC

11 · Prove portability and lawful retirement

Profi copïau wrth gefn ac ymadael

Rhestrwch allforion, copïau, pwysau a mynegeion a phrofwch fynediad ac ailgymhwyso dileadau wrth adfer. Gwiriwch hawliau a chontractau cyn gwerthu neu drosglwyddo a pheidiwch â chau heb geidwad cofnodion a thystiolaeth dychwelyd neu ddileu gan y cyflenwr.

When Back up, exit, sell or close · Lead Founder, operations and deal lead

Do this

Inventory exports, source records, weights, indexes, caches, logs, supplier copies and backups. Agree recovery and retention requirements based on business consequences. Test export to a usable format before dependence grows.

Safeguards to apply

Keep versioned backups in a separate security boundary appropriate to risk. Restrict restoration, reapply deletions and access revocations, preserve lawful holds and revoke secrets. Check licences, confidentiality, controller changes, contracts and approvals before sharing with a buyer or transferring assets.

Evidence and a useful test

Restore a fictional sample and verify access rules, excluded/deleted records and service integrity. Record supplier return/deletion evidence, unresolved copies, remaining contact and obligations.

Pause or reopen if

Export cannot be read, restore revives deleted information into ordinary use, the buyer lacks permission for the proposed transfer, or closure has no records custodian.

Working documents and sourcesGDPR · UKGDPR · CLOUD · ICO28 · ICOERASE

Toto-Rex can make mistakes. Everything here is general information, not legal advice: check the primary source, and take advice from a qualified professional before you act.