What is ISO/IEC 27701?

ISO/IEC 27701 is an international standard that specifies requirements and provides guidance for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continuously improving a privacy information management system (PIMS). It extends ISO/IEC 27001 to specifically address privacy and the protection of personally identifiable information (PII), making it highly relevant for organisations acting as PII controllers or processors.

Why is ISO/IEC 27701 important?

In a world where personal data is handled by almost every organisation and privacy regulations are rapidly evolving, ISO/IEC 27701 offers a practical framework to demonstrate accountability and compliance. It helps organisations manage privacy risks by embedding privacy-specific controls into existing information security management systems. With its mappings to GDPR and other standards like ISO/IEC 29100 and ISO/IEC 27018, it supports alignment with legal requirements while improving stakeholder trust and operational transparency.

Benefits

• Strengthens data privacy and protection capabilities
• Helps demonstrate compliance with global privacy regulations such as GDPR
• Supports trust-building with partners, clients and regulators
• Aligns with existing ISO/IEC 27001 systems to streamline implementation
• Facilitates accountability and evidence-based privacy management