The risk and mitigation indicators pertaining to this risk category aim to assess specific disruptive technologies’ applications which can be used for either reduce social networks, necessary for the cohesion of our communities or introduce alternative human-based modes of contact. This risk category includes six risks as follow:

1. Replacement of human agency
2. Undisclosed technology use
3. Exclusion of individuals
4. Social isolation
5. Psychological harm
6. Physical harm

Accordingly, this section of the assessment is meant to understand how the DTA interacts with the decision-making process of humans and assess whether it may cause damage, physical or psychological harm or affect through other negative impacts the involved stakeholders and their social relations.

The legal risk and mitigation indicators consider whether a specific disruptive technology application follows the fundamental rule of law, which public administration should never forget. These indicators refer to three risks as follows: 

1. Illegal behaviour
2. Liability risks
3. Lack of certification procedures.

Consequently, this part of the assessment investigates whether the organisation implementing the DTA has followed the rule of law in terms of procedures and adoption of relevant standards, as well as with respect to the treatment of personal data and the management of liability issues.

The governance risk and mitigation indicators are related to assessing whether the adoption of the disruptive technology is compliant with all the processes of interaction be they through the laws, norms, purposes or resources of the public sector organization. This risk category includes seven risks as follows:

1. Use for unintended purposes
2. Lack of transparency and explainability
3. Poor human oversight
4. Distrust
5. Relations with the private sector
6. Waste of resources
7. Unclear accountability and responsibilities

The indicators aim to ensure that the organisation has a sound and clear governance structure to oversee the organization’s use of the DTA, that relevant standard procedures are in place and that the DTA implementation meets both its intended purposes and societal expectations.

The risk and mitigation indicators of this risk category assess whether the application of disruptive technology endures the basic principle of equal treatment, promoting equality of access. The indicators refer to four risks as follows: 

1. Concentration of power
2. Biased outcomes
3. Unequal access and benefit
4. Loss of cultural diversity

In particular, this section of the framework aims to ensure fairness in the DTA implementation, so that it does not exclude citizens from essential services nor discriminate against any minority social group either directly or indirectly.

The risk and mitigation indicators of this risk category assess the disruptive technology application for the public sector in terms of potential unreliable outcomes, which can be of great damage to citizens. This risk category includes six risks as follows: 

1. Unreliable or Poor-Quality Outcomes
2. Autonomous weapons proliferation
3. Malicious surveillance
4. Disinformation
5. Democratic deficit
6. Citizen scoring

This section of the assessment embraces a complex range of issues which can lead to errors in and misuse of the DTA, ranging from risks stemming from the use of third-party datasets to risks more specific to the public sector such as massive surveillance and citizen scoring.

Security and data protection indicators assess whether the public sector organisation considers security regulation, and efficient measures to prevent and discover unauthorized use of data. This risk category includes four risks as follows: 

1. Rogue applications
2. Hacking to change the behaviour of the DT
3. Hacking to get information access
4. Loss of service continuity. 

The main focus of this part of the assessment is to ensure that the DTA is sufficiently safe from cybersecurity threats.

Unsustainable use indicators assess any natural or human-induced factor that directly or indirectly causes unsustainable use of natural resources. The indicators refer to two risks as follows: 

1. High level of energy consumption
2. Use of environmentally unsustainable materials. 

The main objective of this part of the assessment is to ensure that the DTA is developed and implemented in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Workplace issues indicators assess job-related issues which can be caused by the new adoption of a specific disruptive technology within the public sector. These indicators refer to two risks as follows: 

1. Job displacement
2. Lack of competences. 

In particular, this part of the evaluation investigates whether staff involved in the various governance processes of the DTA are adequately trained and whether the DTA has a potential negative impact on the labour market.