Collection and use of publicly available information
Robert collects, processes, and analyses information from publicly available sources published by EU institutions, regulatory agencies, courts, media outlets, think tanks, and industry bodies. This includes documents, press releases, legislative texts, procurement notices, meeting agendas, consultation responses, and other materials that these organisations have made available to the public.
This collection and processing is lawful under EU and Belgian law on several grounds:
Freedom of information and press freedom
The collection and analysis of publicly available government and institutional information is protected by the right to receive and impart information under Article 11 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Robert operates as a monitoring and analysis service in the public interest, providing structured access to information that EU institutions have chosen to publish.
EU open data and transparency obligations
EU institutions publish the majority of the documents Robert monitors under legal obligations of transparency and public access. Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 governs public access to European Parliament, Council, and Commission documents. The EU Open Data Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/1024) promotes the reuse of public sector information. EUR-Lex, the Official Journal, the European Parliament's Legislative Observatory, TED (Tenders Electronic Daily), and similar portals are specifically designed for public access and reuse.
GDPR lawful basis
To the extent that any publicly available document contains personal data (such as the names of public officials in their professional capacity), Robert processes this data under Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR (legitimate interest). The processing is limited to information that public figures have made available in their professional roles. Robert does not collect or process personal data about individuals beyond their official, publicly stated positions and professional activities.
Text and data mining
The EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (Directive (EU) 2019/790, Article 3) permits text and data mining of lawfully accessible works for the purposes of scientific research. Article 4 permits text and data mining for other purposes unless the rightholder has expressly reserved this right in a machine-readable way. Robert respects robots.txt directives and any machine-readable opt-out signals published by source websites.
Database rights
Robert does not reproduce or make available substantial portions of any third-party database. The service extracts individual items of information from publicly accessible sources and creates original analytical output. To the extent that EU institutional databases are protected by the Database Directive (96/9/EC), Robert's use constitutes lawful extraction of insubstantial parts for the purpose of analysis and commentary.
Respect for source terms and access conditions
Robert respects the terms of service, access conditions, and technical restrictions published by the sources it monitors. This includes:
- Honouring robots.txt directives and crawl-delay instructions
- Respecting API rate limits and usage terms
- Not circumventing access controls, paywalls, or authentication requirements
- Not reproducing full-text copyrighted articles; only extracting factual information and providing links to original sources
- Attributing information to its source wherever practicable
If you are a content owner or publisher and believe that Robert is collecting your content in a manner that is inconsistent with your terms, please contact us at legal@brusselsbot.eu and we will address your concerns promptly.
Processing of media and third-party content
Robert monitors publicly available news articles, opinion pieces, press releases, and research publications from policy media outlets, think tanks, and industry bodies. The processing of this content is lawful and protected under the following principles:
Fair use and quotation right
Robert does not republish or reproduce full articles, reports, or other copyrighted works. The service extracts factual information (such as reported events, stated positions, and policy developments) and generates original analytical commentary. Where specific claims are referenced, the source is attributed and linked. This constitutes fair dealing for the purposes of reporting current events, criticism, and review under Article 5(3)(c) and (d) of the EU Copyright Directive (2001/29/EC) and the equivalent provisions of Belgian copyright law (Code of Economic Law, Book XI).
Text and data mining of media content
Under Article 4 of the DSM Copyright Directive (2019/790), text and data mining of lawfully accessible works is permitted unless the rightholder has reserved this right in a machine-readable format. Robert checks for and respects TDM opt-out signals, including the "ai-disallowed" meta tag, the TDMRep protocol, and relevant robots.txt directives. Where a publisher has expressly opted out of text and data mining in a machine-readable way, Robert will exclude that source from automated processing.
Distinction between facts and expression
Copyright protects the expression of ideas, not the underlying facts. Policy developments, legislative actions, official statements, voting records, published positions, and other factual matters reported by media outlets are not copyrightable. Robert extracts these facts and generates its own original analysis and commentary. The service does not reproduce the creative expression, narrative structure, or editorial voice of any source publication.
Press publisher rights
Article 15 of the DSM Directive grants press publishers a neighbouring right over their publications. Robert does not reproduce press publications or substantial extracts from them. Links to and very short extracts of press publications (within the meaning of Article 15(1)) are exempt from this right. Robert's output consists of original AI-generated analysis, not reproductions of press content.
RSS and syndication feeds
Many of the sources Robert monitors publish RSS or Atom feeds specifically designed for automated consumption. By publishing syndication feeds, publishers invite automated access to the headlines, summaries, and metadata contained in those feeds. Robert accesses these feeds in the manner they are intended to be used.
No paywall circumvention
Robert does not bypass, circumvent, or otherwise access content behind paywalls, login walls, or other access controls. Only freely available content is processed.
AI-generated content disclaimer
All analytical content produced by Robert is generated by artificial intelligence (large language models). It is not written, reviewed, or verified by human analysts before delivery.
Robert uses large language models (LLMs) from multiple AI providers to process source materials and generate assessments, briefings, predictions, articles, and other analytical outputs. Users should be aware of the following:
No guarantee of accuracy
LLMs can produce incorrect, misleading, or fabricated information ("hallucinations"). While Robert employs evidence chains, verification layers, and source attribution to reduce this risk, no automated system can guarantee the accuracy or completeness of its output. All content should be treated as a starting point for further investigation, not as a definitive source of truth.
Not professional advice
Robert's output does not constitute legal, political, regulatory, financial, or any other form of professional advice. Users should not rely on AI-generated assessments or predictions as the sole basis for business decisions, policy positions, legal strategy, or any other consequential action. Always consult qualified professionals and verify information against primary sources before acting on it.
Predictions and confidence levels
Robert generates forward-looking predictions with associated confidence levels. These are probabilistic estimates produced by AI models based on available evidence. They are not forecasts by human experts. Confidence levels reflect the AI's assessment of its own certainty, which may not correspond to actual probability of outcomes. Past prediction accuracy does not guarantee future performance.
Potential for bias
AI models may reflect biases present in their training data or in the source materials they process. Robert's analytical output may therefore contain unintentional biases in its framing, emphasis, or interpretation of events. The system processes only English-language sources, which may introduce an anglophone bias in its coverage.
Source coverage limitations
Robert monitors a defined set of publicly available sources. It does not have access to non-public documents, closed-door negotiations, informal communications, or classified materials. Its analysis is necessarily limited to what is available in the public domain.
Evidence traceability
Robert provides evidence chains linking analytical claims to the source signals they are based on. Users are encouraged to follow these links and verify claims against the original source materials. The presence of an evidence chain does not guarantee that the AI's interpretation of the underlying sources is correct.
EU AI Act transparency
In accordance with the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689), Robert discloses the following:
- All analytical content (briefings, assessments, predictions, articles, alerts) is generated by AI systems, specifically large language models
- The AI providers currently used are Anthropic (Claude model family) and Google (Gemini model family)
- No human editorial review takes place before content is delivered to users
- The system is designed as a decision-support tool, not a decision-making system
- Users retain full responsibility for any actions taken on the basis of Robert's output
Limitation of liability
Robert is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or completeness.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Robert and its operators shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from the use of or reliance on any information, analysis, prediction, or other content provided by the service. This includes, without limitation, damages arising from decisions made on the basis of AI-generated content, missed or inaccurate information, service interruptions, or delays in content delivery.
Nothing in this notice excludes or limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.
Intellectual property
The analytical output, presentation, and structure of Robert's content are the property of its operators. The underlying factual information drawn from public sources remains in the public domain and is not claimed as proprietary.
EU legislative texts, court judgments, and other official documents reproduced or referenced by Robert are not subject to copyright under Article 1 of Decision 2011/833/EU (Commission reuse decision) and equivalent provisions.
Governing law
This legal notice is governed by Belgian law. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Brussels, Belgium, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer protection provisions that may apply under the law of your country of residence.
Contact
For legal enquiries, content removal requests, or questions about this notice, contact us at legal@brusselsbot.eu.
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