Trust Scale Levels (TSL)

The Trust Scale Levels (TSL) enable to assess and determine in an objective and factual manner the level of confidence one can have in the effective compliance of a data recipient. This is important for data subjects, as well as for data controllers when sharing data with data processors. Data controllers are liable for potential non-compliance of their data processors (Art. 28 GDPR). The TSL answers the question: How much can one trust the compliance of a data recipient?

The TSL provides objective criteria to:

• • determine the level of trust in a third-party (i.e. a data processor) with regards to its effective compliance with data protection regulations and obligations;
  • structure and homogenize a data protection policy;
  • review and reduce the risks associated to data transfers.

The Trust Scale starts by the highest level (letter A) and moves down the scale to the lowest level (letter I). A data processor’s TSL is determined based on the assessment of its compliance with the requirements of each of the levels:

The TSLs were researched through the European research project AD4GD and have been standardized by the European Centre for Certification and Privacy. The detailed specifications are available on the Europrivacy community website: https://community.europrivacy.com.