Article 50 Website Scanner for the EU AI Act
Monitoring tools tell you what's wrong. Article50.io tells you how to fix it.
An Article 50 website scan loads your live site in a real browser and checks what the EU AI Act's transparency rules care about: chatbots, voice agents and AI avatars that don't say they're AI, how clearly a disclosure is shown, and AI-marked images with no visible label. Article50.io runs it free in 45 seconds or less and lists what it couldn't check.
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No signup. Public pages only. Scans are capped at 45 seconds.
Article 50 of the EU AI Act now applies: your visitors must be told when they're talking to an AI chatbot or looking at a deep fake. Article50.io scans your live site, tells you exactly what's missing, and gives you the fixes — no forms, no consultants, results in minutes.
We don't just identify issues. We show you exactly how to fix them.
Findings are based on what's actually on your page — not guesses.
You don't fill out forms. Your website does the talking.
Article 50 of the EU AI Act has been enforceable since August 2, 2026 — with fines of up to €15 million or 3% of global turnover for non-compliance.
New research: Of 59 popular EU websites with a chat widget, 58 (98.3%) showed no AI disclosure detected by an automated scan at first view. Read the October 2026 study.
What Article 50 Actually Requires
Article 50 has been enforceable since August 2, 2026. Non-compliance with any Article 50 transparency obligation falls under the same fine tier in Article 99(4) of the AI Act: up to €15 million or 3% of total worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher. For SMEs, including startups, and small mid-cap enterprises (Article 99(6a)), the cap is the lower of the two amounts. Read the full Article 50 guide →
Key Takeaways
- →Article 50 binds providers and deployers of AI systems. Most website operators are deployers, and non-EU sites can be in scope when their AI system's output reaches people in the EU.
- →Three core duties: tell people when they're interacting with an AI system (Art. 50(1)), mark synthetic content in a machine-readable format (Art. 50(2)), and disclose deep fakes and AI-generated public-interest text (Art. 50(4)).
- →Generative systems already on the market before August 2, 2026 have until December 2, 2026 to comply with Article 50(2) (Article 111(4), inserted by the Digital Omnibus on AI). The other duties already apply.
- →A checklist tells you what to look for; a live-site scan checks what's actually on your pages — the chat widget that loads, the disclosure text visitors see, and whether machine-readable markers are present.
- →The full report lists every issue found with a ready-to-paste fix, plus an embeddable "Checked for Article 50 Transparency" badge and one free recheck within 30 days.
How to Comply with Article 50 of the EU AI Act
Website scan vs questionnaire checkers
Most low-cost Article 50 tools ask you to describe your AI setup in a form, then generate a report from your answers. That's fast, and fine for a first look, but it only knows what you tell it. Article50.io loads your actual site and checks what's really there.
| Compared | Typical form-based checkers ($0-$99) | Official EU AI Act Compliance Checker (free) | Consultant review (a few hundred to a few thousand) | Article50.io (€499) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How it works | You answer questions about your AI setup | You answer a questionnaire on the Commission's AI Act Service Desk | A person reviews your setup; scope varies | We scan your site live |
| Catches a chat widget you forgot about | Only if you tell it about it | No. It doesn't look at your website. | Usually, if it's in scope | Yes |
| Checks the disclosure text visitors really see | No | No. It doesn't look at your website. | Usually, if it's in scope | Yes |
| Checks for machine-readable content markers | No | No. It doesn't look at your website. | Usually, if it's in scope | Yes |
| Fixes | Generic disclosure text | Not applicable | Usually written recommendations | Ready-to-paste fixes for each finding |
| After purchase | Report only | Not applicable | Depends on the engagement | "Checked" badge and one free recheck within 30 days |
| Best for | A quick first look at your obligations | Working out which AI Act rules may apply to you | A human review; scope varies | Knowing what's really detectable on your site |
Typical form-based checkers ($0-$99)
- How it works
- You answer questions about your AI setup
- Catches a chat widget you forgot about
- Only if you tell it about it
- Checks the disclosure text visitors really see
- No
- Checks for machine-readable content markers
- No
- Fixes
- Generic disclosure text
- After purchase
- Report only
- Best for
- A quick first look at your obligations
Official EU AI Act Compliance Checker (free)
- How it works
- You answer a questionnaire on the Commission's AI Act Service Desk
- Catches a chat widget you forgot about
- No. It doesn't look at your website.
- Checks the disclosure text visitors really see
- No. It doesn't look at your website.
- Checks for machine-readable content markers
- No. It doesn't look at your website.
- Fixes
- Not applicable
- After purchase
- Not applicable
- Best for
- Working out which AI Act rules may apply to you
Consultant review (a few hundred to a few thousand)
- How it works
- A person reviews your setup; scope varies
- Catches a chat widget you forgot about
- Usually, if it's in scope
- Checks the disclosure text visitors really see
- Usually, if it's in scope
- Checks for machine-readable content markers
- Usually, if it's in scope
- Fixes
- Usually written recommendations
- After purchase
- Depends on the engagement
- Best for
- A human review; scope varies
Article50.io (€499)
- How it works
- We scan your site live
- Catches a chat widget you forgot about
- Yes
- Checks the disclosure text visitors really see
- Yes
- Checks for machine-readable content markers
- Yes
- Fixes
- Ready-to-paste fixes for each finding
- After purchase
- "Checked" badge and one free recheck within 30 days
- Best for
- Knowing what's really detectable on your site
Not legal advice either way. A scan shows what's technically detectable on your site, which is different from, and complements, a legal compliance review.
What You'll Receive
Your AI Act transparency obligations checklist
- ✔Identified transparency issues
- ✔Risk explanations
- ✔Prioritized findings
- ✔Exact remediation actions
- ✔Copy-and-paste disclosure text
- ✔Implementation instructions
- ✔Downloadable scan report
- ✔Unique report ID and SHA-256 fingerprint
- ✔A shareable "Checked" badge for your site
- ✔One free recheck scan within 30 days
Show your visitors you took action.
Every full report comes with an embeddable badge you can add to your site — a simple, honest signal that you checked your Article 50 obligations. No compliance claims, just proof you did the work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Article50.io?
Article50.io is an automated scanner for the Article 50 transparency rules of the EU AI Act. It scans a website for potential Article 50 transparency gaps and generates a report of what the scan found and what it could not check, with remediation guidance, implementation instructions and disclosure wording you can paste in.
What does Article50.io scan for?
Article50.io scans your public-facing website for signals of undisclosed AI use covered by Article 50 of the EU AI Act — including AI-powered chat widgets that don't disclose they're AI (the most common way sites trigger the Article 50(1) chatbot transparency requirement), AI voice agents and AI avatars from known vendors that don't tell visitors they're AI, and AI-generated content (images, text, audio, video) that isn't marked as synthetic. Where it finds a disclosure, it also measures how the disclosure is presented on the page as it first loads (visibility, text size, contrast, exposure to assistive technology and language) and reports anything it couldn't inspect.
How does Article50.io work?
Article50.io works as an automated scanner for the Article 50 transparency rules: enter your site's URL and we load the page, check it against known Article 50 transparency patterns, and return a report. The free scan surfaces your single most severe finding; the full report covers every issue we detected, each cited to the relevant Article 50 provision (noting where it depends on your specific content), with a ready-to-paste fix. How it compares with other Article 50 checkers.
What is Article 50 of the EU AI Act?
Article 50 of the EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) sets transparency obligations for certain AI systems — including telling people when they're interacting with an AI system, and disclosing AI-generated or manipulated content. These obligations have been enforceable since August 2, 2026. Article50.io acts as an automated scanner for the Article 50 transparency rules, flagging exactly where your site falls short of them.
Does my business need Article 50 disclosures?
If your site uses an AI system that interacts directly with visitors — like an AI chatbot — you're subject to the EU's chatbot AI disclosure requirement, and Article 50 disclosure obligations likely apply. Publishing AI-generated or manipulated audio, image, video, or text content triggers separate obligations too. If you're asking "does my chatbot need an AI disclosure," a scan is the fastest way to check your specific site.
How long does an assessment take?
A free scan typically completes in under a minute. The full paid report is generated and emailed automatically, usually within minutes of checkout.
What is included in the report?
The full report lists every transparency issue we found, why it matters under Article 50, exact remediation steps, copy-and-paste disclosure language, and implementation guidance — delivered as a downloadable PDF. Each report has a unique report ID, printed on the PDF and in the report email, and a SHA-256 fingerprint of the PDF file exactly as issued, shown on our public check page. Anyone you share the report with can check there that the file is unaltered; the check runs in their browser and the file is never uploaded. The fingerprint shows the file hasn't changed since it was issued; it doesn't show whether your site complies.
Does Article50.io provide remediation guidance?
Yes — every finding in the full report comes with a specific fix. Think of it as an AI disclosure language generator tailored to your findings: ready-to-paste disclosure text and plain-English instructions for where to add it on your page.
What happens after I get my report?
You apply the disclosure snippets and implementation guidance to your site yourself. There's no dashboard or account to manage — everything you need is in the report we email you.
Is this legal advice?
No. Article50.io provides an automated technical assessment of your website's public-facing content against Article 50's transparency requirements, not legal advice. For a determination of your specific legal obligations or compliance strategy, consult a qualified lawyer.
How accurate are the findings?
Findings are based only on what's actually detectable on your page — known AI chat widget signatures, on-page disclosure text, and machine-readable content markers. We never guess or infer a violation without concrete evidence, but automated scanning can't catch everything a manual legal review would, and a clean scan doesn't guarantee full compliance. How the scan works.
What's the verification badge?
After your full report is generated, you can embed a small "Checked for Article 50 Transparency" badge on your site, linking to a public verification page showing the domain and scan date. It's an honest signal that you checked — not a compliance certification, and it doesn't claim your site currently meets every requirement.
Which languages does the scan understand?
The scan recognises AI disclosures addressed to visitors in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese, on the page it loads and in chat, voice and avatar widgets. Labels on AI-generated content and images are recognised in English only. Wording in other languages, or unusual wording, may not be recognised, and the report says when it couldn't determine something. Recognising wording is not the same as confirming a disclosure is sufficient.
Does the scan check voice agents, AI avatars and images?
It looks for voice agents and AI avatars from known vendors using their standard embeds, and for images whose own file data says they are AI-generated, when the page shows no visible label. It reads up to 8 images per page, and only the start of each file. A missing marker is never reported as a finding, because many AI images carry none. Free disclosure templates for AI-generated images and video.
What can't the scan see?
Anything behind a login, shown only after a click or a consent banner, or not on the public page. It also can't tell whether machine-readable marking is applied to AI output you generate (Article 50(2)), so the report lists that as not observable from a public page. If you answer the questionnaire, your answer appears beside it as declared by you, not verified.
What is the questionnaire after I buy a report?
It's five yes/no questions about things a public page can't show, such as whether you run AI voice agents by phone. Your answers appear in the report labelled "Declared by you, not verified", so the report keeps what we saw separate from what you told us. They never change what the scan measured.
What if my site can't be scanned?
If a page blocks the scan with a bot check, answers with an error, redirects to a different site, or loads with almost no text, we tell you instead of showing a clean result. For a redirect to a different site, we show where it went and let you scan that address.
Can I get my site rechecked after I fix the issues?
Yes — every full report includes one free recheck within 30 days of purchase. Once you've applied the fixes, use the recheck link in your original report email to get an updated report showing what's resolved.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (EU AI Act), Article 50 — transparency obligations for providers and deployers of certain AI systems. Official text, OJ L, 12.7.2024.
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, Article 3(60) — definition of "deep fake".
- Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI), inserting Article 111(4) into the AI Act — December 2, 2026 deadline for Article 50(2) for generative systems already on the market. OJ L, 24.7.2026; in force 27.7.2026.
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, Article 99 — penalties, including Article 99(4) (up to €15 million or 3% of worldwide annual turnover) and Article 99(6a) (lower cap for SMEs and small mid-caps).
- European Commission: Guidelines on transparency obligations (20 July 2026)
- European Commission: FAQ on transparency obligations under Article 50 of the AI Act
This page is maintained against the current text of the EU AI Act, cross-checked after the Digital Omnibus amendment (Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, in force 27 July 2026).