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Data Controller

What is Data Controller?

Under GDPR, the entity that determines the purposes and means of processing personal data. The controller bears primary responsibility for compliance.

Privacy

What the standards actually require on data controller

Requirements naming data controller across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

Ghana DPA 2012 Part Four - Registration + Controller/Processor Obligations. REGISTRATION (Sec.41-46): all data controllers + processors processing personal data in Ghana must REGISTER with DPC + complete REGISTRATION APPLICATION (Sec.42) including organization...

GhDPA-Registration-Controller-Processor · Data Controller + Processor Registration and Obligations (Part Four)
Turkey KVKK2 controls

Data controllers must register with VERBIS (Veri Sorumlulari Sicili Bilgi Sistemi) before processing. Registration includes controller identity, processing purposes, data categories, recipient categories, transfers abroad, retention periods, and security measu...

KVKK-Art16 · VERBIS Data Controllers Registry

Introduces a duty for controllers to facilitate and handle data protection complaints from data subjects, including acknowledging and responding within prescribed timeframes, before escalation to the regulator.

DUAA-P5-COMPLAINTS · Complaints to data controllers

Acknowledge NDPC enforcement per NDPA Section 45 with administrative penalties up to NGN 10 million + 2% annual gross revenue (lower of) for serious violations + lesser penalties for minor breaches + compensation for affected data subjects + criminal penalties...

NG-NDPA-8 · Enforcement, Penalties, Data Controllers of Major Importance (DCMI), and Compliance

Register the entity as a data controller with the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) in its capacity as Data Protection Authority, declaring categories of personal information, purposes of processing and security measures a...

ZDPA-02 · Registration of Data Controllers with POTRAZ

Articles 5-15 of UU PDP grant Data Subjects 9 core rights. Article 5: right to obtain information regarding identity of Personal Data Controller + legal basis + purpose + accountability party representing Personal Data Controller.

IDPdp-DataSubjectRights-Art5to15-Access-Correction-Erasure-Portability-Object-Withdraw-Automated · Indonesia PDP Articles 5-15 + Data Subject Rights + Access + Correction + Erasure + Portability + Object + Withdraw Consent + Automated Decision-Making + Damages Claim + Identity Verification + Response 3 Days

Questions people ask about data controller

What is Data Controller?
Under GDPR, the entity that determines the purposes and means of processing personal data. The controller bears primary responsibility for compliance.
Why is Data Controller important for compliance?
Data Controller is a key concept in Privacy. Understanding data controller helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings.
What concepts are related to Data Controller?
Key concepts related to Data Controller include Data Processor, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Understanding these interconnected concepts provides a more comprehensive view of Privacy requirements and helps organizations build holistic compliance programs.
Which compliance frameworks address Data Controller?
Data Controller appears in the requirement text of Ghana Data Protection Act 2012 (Act 843), Turkey KVKK, Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA), Zimbabwe Data Protection Act (2021). Across these standards we have identified 14 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Data Controller?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how data controller applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 686 frameworks.

See how Data Controller applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.