# ISO/IEC 27701:2025 A.3.4 — Information security roles & responsibilities

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-3-4-information-security-roles-responsibilities
- Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [ISO/IEC 27701:2025 PIMS Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025) › Security considerations
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**ISO/IEC 27701:2025**·Annex A `A.3.4`·high·Component: **Security considerations**

## What this control requires

> Define and allocate security roles and responsibilities related to PII processing. Implementation: Create role descriptions, appoint contacts (e.g., DPO / Privacy Officer). Justification: Clarifies accountability for PII security.
> 
> — ISO/IEC 27701:2025, Annex A A.3.4

### In plain English

Define and allocate security roles and responsibilities related to PII processing. In practice, this means you can prove you implement information security roles-level controls on a defined cadence.

## Why it matters

ISO 27701 is the international way to evidence the GDPR principle of accountability: certified PIMS controls translate directly into the records, contracts and rights-handling that supervisory authorities want, and into the privacy-engineering evidence SOC 2 + Privacy auditors and enterprise procurement teams ask for.

This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation.

## What an auditor looks for

PIMS auditors expect ISO 27001 to be implemented first and then the 27701-additional controls tested. For PII controllers they look at lawful-basis and rights-handling evidence; for PII processors they look at customer-instructions, sub-processor controls and return/transfer/disposal evidence.

Within **Security considerations**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Annex A A.3.4) 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

-   **Implement.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Define.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Appoint.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** information security roles, responsibilities.

## Evidence to collect

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

Signed policies, procedures, and registers document the safeguard. Focus: Information security roles & responsibilities.

## Common pitfalls

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

## How it maps to other frameworks

Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit.

-   [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.1** — Policies for information security](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-1-policies-for-information-security)
-   [**GDPR Article 8** — Conditions applicable to child's consent in relation to information society services](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/gdpr/article-8-conditions-applicable-to-child-s-consent-in-relation-to-information-society)
-   [**NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 PM-29** — Risk Management Program Leadership Roles](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pm-29-risk-management-program-leadership-roles)
-   [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) P3.2** — Consent Management for Personal Information Collection](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/p3-2-consent-management-for-personal-information-collection)
-   [**India DPDP Act 2023 SE-005** — Information Security Governance, Training & Audit](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/india-dpdp-act-2023/se-005-information-security-governance-training-audit)

## Related controls in ISO/IEC 27701:2025

-   [**Annex A A.3.3** — Information security policies](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-3-3-information-security-policies)
-   [**Annex A A.3.5** — Classification of information](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-3-5-classification-of-information)
-   [**Annex A A.1.3.3** — Information for PII principals](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-1-3-3-information-for-pii-principals)
-   [**Annex A A.3.15** — Independent review](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-3-15-independent-review)
-   [**Annex A A.3.18** — Confidentiality agreements](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-3-18-confidentiality-agreements)
-   [**Annex A A.3.6** — Labelling of information](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-3-6-labelling-of-information)

## References

-   [ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 27 — ISO/IEC 27701:2025](https://www.iso.org/standard/85819.html)
-   Catalogue identifier: `Annex A A.3.4`

Topics: governance riskpolicy managementprivacy management