# GDPR Article 58 — Powers

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-58-powers
- Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679)](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr) › Articles 51–60
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**GDPR**·Article `Article 58`·low·Component: **Chapter VI: Supervisory Authorities**

## What this control requires

> Supervisory authorities have investigative powers to access data, conduct audits, and notify infringements; corrective powers to issue warnings, reprimands, and orders for compliance, data erasure, or processing bans; and advisory powers to guide controllers, approve codes, certifications, and clauses. They enforce GDPR with safeguards, judicial remedies, and may initiate legal proceedings. This control addresses Supervisory Authorities.
> 
> — GDPR, Article Article 58

### In plain English

Supervisory authorities have investigative powers to access data, conduct audits, and notify infringements; corrective powers to issue warnings, reprimands, and orders for compliance, data erasure, or processing bans; and advisory powers to guide controllers, approve codes, certifications, and clauses. In practice, this means you can prove you data controllers-level controls on a defined cadence.

## Why it matters

GDPR administrative fines reach the greater of €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) coordinates supervisory-authority enforcement across the EU/EEA, and DPAs publish enforcement decisions citing specific Articles.

## What an auditor looks for

A DPA or privacy auditor expects: a Records of Processing Activities (RoPA) entry, a documented lawful basis, evidence the Article's data-subject right is operationalised end-to-end, a named DPO contact (where required), and Article 30 records that match what the front-end actually does.

Within **Chapter VI: Supervisory Authorities**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Article Article 58) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles.

## How to implement

#### Policy Management

**Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA.

### Operational checklist

-   **Data.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Codes.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Supervisory.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Powers.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Safeguards.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** controllers, conduct, certifications, proceedings.

## Evidence to collect

-   **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document.

Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Powers.

## Common pitfalls

-   Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced.

## Related controls in GDPR

-   [**Article Article 24** — Responsibility of the controller](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-24-responsibility-of-the-controller)
-   [**Article Article 43** — Certification bodies](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-43-certification-bodies)
-   [**Article Article 53** — General conditions for the members of the supervisory authority](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-53-general-conditions-for-the-members-of-the-supervisory-authority)
-   [**Article Article 57** — Tasks](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-57-tasks)
-   [**Article Article 81** — Suspension of proceedings](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-81-suspension-of-proceedings)
-   [**Article Article 42** — Certification](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-42-certification)

## References

-   [European Union — GDPR](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj)
-   Catalogue identifier: `Article Article 58`

Topics: governance riskpolicy management

## Related compliance guidance

- [GDPR compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr): Start with the full GDPR implementation guide — scope, roadmap, evidence and how the assessment runs.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): The security management system most EU procurement teams ask for alongside a DPA; its controls supply much of the Article 32 evidence.
- [India's DPDP Act 2023: a practical compliance guide for cloud teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/india-dpdp-act-2023): If engineering or support teams sit in India, the same data flows are also subject to India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act.