GOVERNANCE & COMPLIANCE

GDPR
Audit

Data processing review, DPIA support, DPA and vendor analysis, and privacy-by-design assessment for organizations that process personal data of EU residents.

Privacy controls that connect legal obligations to engineering reality

A GDPR audit is most useful when it does more than restate the regulation. ShadowCore reviews how personal data actually moves through your organization — across product features, internal tools, processors, and analytics pipelines — and identifies where processing, retention, transfer, or security controls fall short of GDPR expectations.

The engagement combines a structured review of records of processing activities, legal bases, data subject rights handling, processor agreements, and cross-border transfer mechanisms with a hands-on look at privacy-by-design controls in product and infrastructure. DPIAs are run where high-risk processing requires it. Findings are translated into a remediation roadmap with owners, priority, and supervisory-risk context.

Because GDPR’s security-of-processing obligations overlap with broader information security work, the audit pairs naturally with ISO 27001 preparation, NIS2 readiness, and incident response for breach notification capability.

Engagement snapshot

What a GDPR audit includes

Data processing review

Audit of processing purposes, legal bases, records of processing activities (RoPA), and data-minimization controls across your stack.

  • RoPA
  • Legal basis
  • Consent

DPIA & vendor assessment

Privacy impact analysis for high-risk processing, plus review of processor agreements (DPA), subprocessors, and cross-border transfers.

  • DPIA
  • DPA
  • Transfers

Privacy-by-design controls

Evaluation of product, engineering, and operational controls that enforce privacy requirements by default — not retrofitted at release.

Deliverables

Executive, legal, and technical reports; prioritized remediation roadmap with owners; breach-readiness checklist for 72-hour notification.

Services

GDPR Audit Coverage

A practical privacy review that connects legal obligations with operational controls.

Data Processing Review

Assessment of processing purposes, legal bases, records of processing activities, and data minimization controls.

DPIA & Risk Assessment

Structured privacy impact analysis for high-risk processing, profiling, sensitive data, and third-party sharing.

DPA & Vendor Review

Review of processor agreements, subprocessors, transfer mechanisms, and contractual security obligations.

Privacy-by-Design Controls

Evaluation of product, engineering, and operational controls that enforce privacy requirements by default.

Incident & Breach Readiness

Validation of breach notification workflows, evidence collection, decision records, and supervisory timelines.

Remediation Roadmap

Actionable gap register with owners, priority, legal impact, and implementation guidance for accountable teams.

Process

Audit Workflow

A focused review process for evidence, accountability, and remediation.

01

Scope

Confirm systems, data categories, processors, and regulatory exposure.

02

Map

Document processing activities, data flows, storage, transfers, and retention.

03

Assess

Evaluate legal basis, consent, safeguards, DPIA needs, and vendor controls.

04

Prioritize

Rank gaps by data subject risk, enforcement exposure, and implementation effort.

05

Deliver

Provide findings, templates, remediation roadmap, and executive summary.

Who it is for

When a GDPR audit pays off

  • Controllers and processors of EU personal data that need to validate their privacy program against current GDPR enforcement practice.
  • SaaS and platform companies whose enterprise customers require evidence of GDPR-compliant processing.
  • Organizations entering new markets, launching new products, or rolling out AI features that change how personal data is processed.
  • Privacy and security teams preparing for supervisory inquiries, breach notifications, or post-incident reviews.
Typical outcomes

What the audit delivers

  • A current Record of Processing Activities, data-flow map, and validated legal basis for each processing purpose.
  • A privacy gap register with prioritized remediation, owners, and implementation guidance for product and engineering teams.
  • Reviewed processor agreements, subprocessor visibility, and documented transfer mechanisms for cross-border flows.
  • Breach-readiness workflows aligned to the 72-hour notification window, with decision logs and evidence trails.