Data Encryption for Hard Disk: Roles and Responsibilities

The manager who is responsible for a data set has asked a security engineer to apply encryption to the data on a hard disk.

The security engineer is an example of a:

A.

data controller.

B.

data owner.

C.

data custodian.

D.

data processor.

D.

The correct answer is D. data processor.

Explanation: The role of the security engineer in this scenario is to apply encryption to the data on a hard disk. This makes the security engineer a data processor.

A data processor is an entity that processes personal data on behalf of a data controller. In this scenario, the manager who is responsible for the data set is the data controller, as they are the one who has control over the data and has requested that the security engineer apply encryption. The security engineer, on the other hand, is processing the data by applying encryption to it.

Data owners are individuals or entities who have legal ownership of the data, while data custodians are individuals or entities responsible for the storage, maintenance, and protection of the data. While the security engineer may be responsible for the protection of the data, they do not legally own the data or have responsibility for its storage and maintenance, making options B and C incorrect.

In conclusion, the security engineer in this scenario is a data processor, as they are processing personal data on behalf of a data controller.