Kinds of authority

Enforcement authority

A body empowered to impose consequences for breaches: fines, sanctions, injunctions, licence revocations, restrictions and criminal referrals.

Overview

Some enforcement authorities are also regulators, such as the SEC, CFPB, FTC and FCA. Others exist mainly to investigate and prosecute, such as the US Department of Justice, or to administer specific regimes, such as OFAC for sanctions and FinCEN for anti-money laundering.

Data protection authorities such as France’s CNIL and competition authorities in every major market also act as enforcers within their remit.

It connects most directly to Enforcement action, Fine, Criminal referral, Injunction and Sanctions.

Check the official sources below for legal scope, applicable dates and exceptions. This entry is an explanatory reference, not legal advice.

Why it matters

Enforcement is where regulatory risk becomes financial, reputational and personal.

Who it affects

Organisations and, increasingly, individual executives.

Where it sits

Ten linked steps connect where you operate to the proof that you complied.

  1. 01Jurisdiction
  2. 02Industry
  3. 03Activity
  4. 04Authority
  5. 05Regulation
  6. 06Requirement
  7. 07Guidance
  8. 08Control
  9. 09Evidence
  10. 10Enforcement

Connections

The terms most closely tied to Enforcement authority. Select one to open it.

This term

What to do about it

  1. 1List every body of this type with a say over you.
  2. 2Record the powers each one holds.
  3. 3Prioritise obligations by the consequences behind them.
In Regulation Layer

From requirement to evidence.

Regulation Layer links public enforcement actions to the obligations they cite, so the dial weights the controls regulators are actively punishing.

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