Data Roles and Responsibilities

Updated 31 Jul 2026

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def
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  the organizational (not always technical) roles responsible for how data is managed
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roles
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  data owner — accountable for specific data, often a senior officer (e.g., a VP of Sales owning customer relationship data)
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  data controller — manages the purposes and means by which personal data is processed
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  data processor — processes data on behalf of the data controller, often a third party (e.g., a payroll company processing data defined by the payroll department)
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  data custodian/steward — responsible for data accuracy, privacy, and security day-to-day; applies sensitivity labels, ensures compliance, manages access rights, implements controls
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related
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  Data Types and Classifications
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cards
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  Distinguish a data controller from a data processor.
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    The controller manages the purposes/means of processing personal data; the processor processes data on the controller's behalf (often a third party)

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