Who is ULTIMATELY accountable for the protection of personal data collected by an organization?

The data owner is the person or entity who has the ultimate authority and responsibility for the protection of personal data collected by an organization. The data owner defines the purpose, scope, classification, and retention of the personal data, as well as the rights and obligations of the data subjects and other parties involved in the data processing. The data owner also ensures that the personal data is handled in compliance with the applicable privacy laws and regulations, as well as the organization’s privacy policies and standards. The data owner may delegate some of the operational tasks to the data processor, data custodian, or data protection officer, but the accountability remains with the data owner.

References: CDPSE Review Manual, 2021, p. 81