EPA
U.S. federal regulations protecting air, water, waste environments
ISO 27018
Code of practice for PII protection in public clouds.
Quick Verdict
EPA enforces mandatory environmental standards for US industries via permits and inspections, while ISO 27018 provides voluntary cloud privacy controls for global CSPs. Companies adopt EPA for legal compliance; ISO 27018 for trust and procurement advantage.
EPA
U.S. EPA Standards (40 CFR Title 40)
Key Features
- Multi-layered architecture: statutes, 40 CFR, permits, monitoring
- Evidence-driven compliance via QA/QC sampling, DMRs
- Federal-state partnership with national baselines, SIPs, NPDES
- Technology-based and health-based performance standards
- Dynamic rulemaking tracked via Federal Register, Regulations.gov
ISO 27018
ISO/IEC 27018:2025 PII protection in public clouds
Key Features
- Mandates subprocessor transparency and disclosure
- Prohibits PII use for marketing without consent
- Requires breach notification to customers
- Enforces data minimization and purpose limitation
- Supports data subject rights in clouds
Detailed Analysis
A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.
EPA Details
What It Is
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Standards (codified in 40 CFR Title 40) are mandatory federal regulations implementing major statutes like CAA, CWA, and RCRA. They establish enforceable requirements for air emissions, water discharges, hazardous waste management via performance limits, permitting, and monitoring. Approach combines technology-based controls with health-based ambient standards.
Key Components
- Numeric limits, thresholds, design standards across air (NAAQS, MACT), water (effluent guidelines, NPDES), waste (Subparts AA/BB/CC).
- Permitting (Title V, NPDES), monitoring/recordkeeping/reporting (DMRs, QA/QC), enforcement pathways.
- Federal-state implementation with SIPs, state permits.
- No central certification; compliance via audits, inspections.
Why Organizations Use It
Legal compliance avoids penalties, shutdowns; manages risks from strict liability. Enables operations, supply chains; builds stakeholder trust via transparency (ECHO, ICIS). Strategic for ESG, efficiency.
Implementation Overview
Phased: gap analysis, EMS design, controls, training, digital reporting. Applies to regulated industries (manufacturing, energy); multi-facility via integrated systems. Ongoing audits, regulatory tracking essential.
ISO 27018 Details
What It Is
ISO/IEC 27018:2025 is an international code of practice extending ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27002 for protecting personally identifiable information (PII) in public cloud services where providers act as PII processors. Its scope targets cloud-specific privacy challenges like multi-tenancy and cross-border processing, employing a risk-based approach with tailored controls.
Key Components
- ~25–30 privacy-specific controls layered on ISO 27001 Annex A (93 controls) across organizational, people, physical, technological themes.
- Principles: consent/choice, purpose limitation, data minimization, accuracy, security safeguards, transparency, accountability.
- Integrated into ISMS; evaluated in ISO 27001 certification audits, no standalone certificate.
Why Organizations Use It
- Meets processor obligations (e.g., GDPR Article 28), enhances trust.
- Speeds procurement with Statement of Applicability (SoA).
- Offers market differentiation, insurance benefits, risk reduction.
Implementation Overview
- Gap analysis on ISMS, integrate controls, update contracts/training.
- For CSPs all sizes; annual audits, 3-year recertification.
- Focus: subprocessors, breaches, data rights support.
Key Differences
| Aspect | EPA | ISO 27018 |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Environmental pollution control (air/water/waste) | PII protection in public cloud services |
| Industry | All industrial sectors, US-focused | Cloud service providers worldwide |
| Nature | Mandatory US federal regulations | Voluntary certification code of practice |
| Testing | EPA inspections, self-monitoring, DMRs | ISO 27001 audits with privacy controls |
| Penalties | Civil/criminal fines, injunctions, shutdowns | Loss of certification, no legal penalties |
Scope
Industry
Nature
Testing
Penalties
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about EPA and ISO 27018
EPA FAQ
ISO 27018 FAQ
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