# Definitions 4(7) — GDPR — provision context

> Focused context for a single provision (4(7)), curated from overview.legal on 2026-08-22. Canonical: https://overview.legal/laws/gdpr/art-4#par-7
> Verify against the official text (EUR-Lex / wetten.overheid.nl) before relying on it.

Part of **Definitions** (GDPR, full article: https://overview.legal/laws/gdpr/art-4).

## Provision text

### 4(7)

‘controller’ means the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data; where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its nomination may be provided for by Union or Member State law;


## Topics on this provision

- **Public Authority** — https://overview.legal/topics/overheid
  Government bodies and their data processing activities
- **Public Sector** — https://overview.legal/topics/public-sector
  Processing by public authorities
- **Personal Data** — https://overview.legal/topics/persoonsgegevens
  Information relating to identified or identifiable natural persons
- **Processing** — https://overview.legal/topics/verwerking
  Any operation performed on personal data
- **Controllers** — https://overview.legal/topics/controllers
  Entities that determine purposes and means of processing

## Cited by (exact-provision citations)

- **Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 4 October 2024.#Agentsia po vpisvaniyata v OL.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Varhoven administrativen sad.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Publication in the commercial register of a company’s constitutive instrument containing personal data – Directive (EU) 2017/1132 – Non-compulsory personal data – Lack of consent of the data subjec** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/132161
- **Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 7 May 2024.#SO.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Unabhängige Schiedskommission Wien.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Admissibility – Article 267 TFEU – Concept of ‘court or tribunal’ – National arbitration committee competent to combat doping in sport – Criteria – Independence of the body making the reference – Principle of effective judicial protection – Inadmissibility of the request for a preliminary ruling.#Case C-115/22.** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/132258
- **Judgment of the General Court (Tenth Chamber, Extended Composition) of 3 September 2025.#Philippe Latombe v European Commission.#Transfer of personal data to the United States – Commission Implementing Decision on the adequate level of protection of personal data ensured by the United States – Right to an effective remedy – Right to private and family life – Decisions based solely on the automated processing of personal data – Security of the processing of personal data.#Case T-553/23.** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/132137
- **Judgment of the Court (Eighth Chamber) of 19 December 2024.#MK v K GmbH.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Bundesarbeitsgericht.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Article 88(1) and (2) – Processing in the context of employment – Employees’ personal data – More specific rules provided for by a Member State pursuant to that Article 88 – Obligation to comply with Article 5, Article 6** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/132156
- **Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 4 October 2024.#ND v DR.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Bundesgerichtshof.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Protection of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Chapter VIII – Remedies – Medicinal products marketed by a pharmacist on an online platform – Action brought before the national civil courts by a competitor of that pharmacist on the basis of the prohibition of unfair commercial practices for infringement by the pharmacist of t** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/132163
- **Judgment of the Court (Ninth Chamber) of 11 July 2024.#MK v WB.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Landgericht Hannover.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Article 2(2)(c) – Scope – Exclusion – Purely personal or household activity – Article 4(7) – Controller – Former guardian who performed his or her duties in a professional capacity – Article 15 – Access of the person who has been** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/132251
- **Deutsche Wohnen SE v Staatsanwaltschaft Berlin** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/51487
- **Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 2 December 2025.#X v Russmedia Digital SRL and Inform Media Press SRL.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Curtea de Apel Cluj.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Protection of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Article 4(7) – Concept of ‘controller’ – Responsibility of the operator of an online marketplace for the publication of personal data contained in advertisements placed on its online marketplace by user advertisers – Article 5(2) –** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/132130
- **VB v Natsionalna agentsia za prihodite** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/51485
- **Judgment of the Court (Eighth Chamber) of 27 February 2025.#Amt der Tiroler Landesregierung v Datenschutzbehörde.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Verwaltungsgerichtshof.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Article 4(7) – Concept of ‘controller’ – Direct designation of the controller by national law – Auxiliary administrative entity in the service of a regional government – Lack of** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/132147
- **Rb. Den Haag - C/09/689833** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/53095
- **Judgment of the Court (Fourth Chamber) of 7 March 2024.#IAB Europe v Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit.#Request for a preliminary ruling from the Hof van beroep te Brussel.#Reference for a preliminary ruling – Protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Standard-setting sectoral organisation proposing to its members rules on the processing of users’ consent – Article 4(1) – Concept of ‘personal data’ – String of letters and characters ca** (case-law) — https://overview.legal/posts/132270

---
Generated by overview.legal · https://overview.legal/laws/gdpr/art-4#par-7 · 2026-08-22