Data Protection Officer as a Service

The Data Protection Officer (DPO) role is at the heart of a range of data protection regulations globally, such as GDPR and data protection laws from DIFC and the ADGM in the UAE. The laws focus on holding organisations accountable for their personal data handling. The DPO is officially appointed and (often) registered with authorities. The role is critical to demonstrate and facilitate compliance. The DPO must have a good knowledge of data protection law and an understanding of how organisations process personal data. In addition, the DPO is responsible for training staff, providing advice on policy and procedures, conducting audits, and ensuring compliance with all requirements of applicable law.

Data Protection Officers are responsible for overseeing the organisation’s compliance with data protection regulations. They play an important role in developing and monitoring internal policies, educating employees about best practices, and responding to customer inquiries related to data protection. DPOs also provide guidance on complying with relevant laws and regulations that govern the handling of personal information within an organisation.

The requirements for appointing a DPO vary depending on the data protection laws and regulations in different countries and regions. Organisations processing vast quantities of data, using cutting-edge technologies or having access to sensitive data, are strongly advised to appoint a DPO. The general requirements to appoint a DPO include:

• Organisations engaged in regular and systematic monitoring of data subjects on a large scale, for example, companies that engage in behavioural advertising
• Organisations processing sensitive data: organisations processing sensitive data, such as health information or biometric data, on a large scale or as part of their core activities, such as hospitals or insurance companies
• Organisations performing ‘High-Risk Processing Activities’ on a systematic or regular basis: this includes using innovative technologies or methods (such as processing using AI systems), processing a considerable amount of personal data if it results in high risks for individuals, or processing that involves automated decision-making, among other things.
• Public authorities and bodies, for example, city councils.

Yes, you can. Organisations can either entrust this role to an external professional organisation under a service contract or keep the DPO role in-house. The former will allow you to avoid internal conflicts of interest, difficult recruitment processes, and will ensure that the requirement for a qualified resource is always met.

Engaging White Label Consultancy to serve as your DPO has multiple advantages over appointing an internal DPO:

• Objective and independent perspective: as external DPOs, we provide an unbiased viewpoint free from internal organisational pressures or conflicts of interest
• Cost-efficiency: outsourcing the DPO can be more cost-efficient than hiring a full-time internal employee to fulfil this role because there is no need for employee benefits, training, or other associated costs
• Expertise and specialisation: our team has a broad spectrum of experience in various industries and businesses, and we can ensure up-to-date and diverse knowledge on data protection matters
• Continuous availability: we provide your organisation with continuous support, 24/7 all year round
• Benchmarking: we act as DPO for many companies, and we know what other companies are doing to address similar challenges which provides us with useful benchmarking to evaluate your privacy posture
• Access to resources and defined work methodology: we have a clear set of procedures to drive compliance and fulfil the role, which have been tested and improved over time
• DPO as a stepping stone for compliance: instead of being considered as a blocker within the organisation, as external DPO we experience less opposition from the rest of the organisation to increase compliance