GDPR: Why Your Company Is the Data Controller

Gianni Dell'Aiuto | WBN News Global - WBN News | Sept 11, 2025

From Google’s founders to your local manager, GDPR makes one thing clear: companies, not individuals, carry the legal duty to protect the data they receive — no matter where in the world they operate.

We live in a data-driven economy. Every time someone signs up for a service, downloads an app, or leaves their contact details, that data is entrusted to a company.

They are not the property of the CEO, the shareholders, or the IT manager. Under European law, whoever receives the data automatically becomes the Data Controller.

From that moment on, the company must decide how to use that data, but only according to the purpose for which they were given. If a client shares their details to receive a quotation, the Data Controller must make sure that the data is used only for that purpose. Signing them up to every newsletter would be a violation: they never gave their consent.

Too often, people think data protection means antivirus software, firewalls, or locking the server room. But GDPR compliance is not just about cybersecurity. It is also about management and governance. It is about proper consent of clients and employees (yes, you control even their data). It is about taking care of the internal chain of protection.

Personal data is the most stolen good in the world. They can be hacked from the outside, but they are also often lost or misused inside a company.

A sales manager takes a client list home when he resigns.
An HR assistant forwards employee records to the wrong colleague.
A supplier database is shared with teams that don’t need to see it.

These are not cyberattacks — they are organizational failures.

If your customers gave you their data for one purpose, and you use it for another, you put them at risk: unwanted marketing, exposure of personal details, even identity theft. But GDPR goes further: it also covers your employees and your suppliers. Their contracts, CVs, payment details, addresses — all of that is personal data.

Not everyone in the company needs access to all of it. The finance team may need payroll details, but not medical certificates. The marketing team may need client emails, but not their bank accounts. GDPR requires you to build a system where sensitive personal data is accessible only to those who actually need it.

Think again of the impossible example: Sergey Brin and Larry Page split up, and one founder tries to take all Google’s users with him. The data doesn’t belong to him — it belongs to the company. That is theft.

Now bring it closer: a manager leaves a small business and contacts all the customers directly. That, too, would break the trust. Customers gave their details to the company, not to one person.

This is the essence of the GDPR: the company, as Data Controller, legally takes on the duty to protect, manage, and limit the use of personal data. And companies that understand this early are not just compliant, they are building trust, avoiding reputational damage, and proving themselves as leaders who do the right thing before being forced to.

And don’t think you can escape this by operating outside the EU. Even if you run a business in Montreal or Silicon Valley, if you process the data of European citizens, you are a Data Controller under EU law. Many global companies have already learned this the hard way — through multimillion-euro fines.

Data protection is not about borders. It’s about responsibility. And in today’s economy, responsibility is what sets true leaders apart.

Applying the European system means more than checking a legal box. It gives you stronger security, constant vigilance against cyberattacks, customers who feel respected, and above all, the foundation of digital trust.

After all, it is you — not someone else — who is the Data Controller. The responsibility is yours, but so is the opportunity to turn compliance into a competitive advantage.

Remember. You don’t just manage data — you manage trust. And your reputation is at stake.

Tags: #GDPR Compliance, #Data Protection, #Data Controller, #Digital Trust, #Corporate Responsibility, #Privacy Law, #EU Regulations

Gianni Dell’Aiuto is an Italian attorney with over 35 years of experience in legal risk management, data protection, and digital ethics. Based in Rome and proudly Tuscan, he advises businesses globally on regulations like the GDPR, AI Act, and NIS2. An author and frequent commentator on legal innovation, he helps companies turn compliance into a competitive edge while promoting digital responsibility. Click here to connect with him.

Editor: Wendy S. Huffman