Authority cases & escalations
Enquiries, complaints and proceedings with deadlines, links and an exportable response pack.
When a supervisory authority writes, preparation decides how it goes. SimpleAct keeps two related but separate registers: authority cases for communication with the regulator, and escalations for the wider circle – data subject complaints, internal escalations, investigations and fine notices. Both produce a response pack at the push of a button.
At a glance
- Included from
- Enterprise
- Where in the app
- Data protection → Authorities / Escalations
- Output
- A case file with deadline plus a response pack or authority pack
- Legal basis
- Art. 31, 58, 77 GDPR
- API
- /api/v1/dsgvo-authority · /api/v1/dsgvo-escalation
Types of authority case
| Type | Trigger |
|---|---|
| DPIA_QUERY | Query about a data protection impact assessment – often after a consultation triggered by high residual risk (Art. 36). |
| BREACH_FOLLOWUP | Follow-up on a notified data breach. |
| CROSS_BORDER_INQUIRY | Cross-border proceeding involving several supervisory authorities. |
| GENERAL_AUDIT | General audit, often sector-wide and without a specific triggering case. |
Status of an authority case
Open and in progress count as open – only an open case can go overdue against its deadline.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OFFEN | Received, not yet worked on. |
| IN_BEARBEITUNG | Response being prepared. |
| WARTE_AUF_ANTWORT | Awaiting a reply – internally or from the authority. |
| BEANTWORTET | Answered, with a summary of the response. |
| GESCHLOSSEN | Closed. |
Types of escalation
| Type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BEHOERDENANFRAGE | An authority enquiry, tracked here in the escalation context. |
| BESCHWERDE | A complaint by a data subject – under Art. 77 also possible directly with the supervisory authority. |
| INTERNE_ESKALATION | An internal escalation, for example from a business unit to the executive team. |
| UNTERSUCHUNG | An ongoing investigation. |
| BUSSGELDBESCHEID | A fine notice – the case where deadlines and documentation carry immediate financial weight. |
What holds a case together
- Authority, reference number, date of receipt and deadline. The deadline is set here, not calculated – authorities set it themselves.
- Links to processing records, DPIAs and data breaches. Opening the case immediately shows what the enquiry relates to.
- Context and response summary – what was asked and what you answered.
- An internal owner: one person running the case. A case without an owner is a case that stalls.
- An exportable response pack per case that assembles the linked documents.
Record the deadline before you answer
Record the case with its deadline on the day it arrives – even when the answer looks simple. Authority deadlines are short, answering usually involves several people, and a case that lives only in one person’s inbox is invisible while they are on leave.