# 🛡️ Data Governance & Controls
### **GDPR by default**
The fundamental difference between a traditional AI gateway and Cortecs lies in where the legal boundary is drawn. Conventional routers optimize only for API integration, which leaves you fully liable for downstream data transfers.
By absorbing this extensive vendor due diligence, our managed approach cuts out months of legal bottlenecks.
| | **Conventional Router** | **Cortecs** |
| ------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Concept | Pass-Through Gateway | Managed Gateway |
| Role | Acts solely as a routing engine. | Acts as the primary Data Processor. |
| LLM Provider Status | Direct Processors to your organization. | Subprocessors under Cortecs. |
| Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) | Requires signing separate DPAs with every single LLM provider used. | One DPA built into our Terms. |
| Cross-Border Transfers (SCCs & TIAs) | You must execute Standard Contractual Clauses and Transfer Impact Assessments for each non-EU vendor. | We manage the downstream compliance for all integrated models. |
| Compliance Boundary | Stops at the router; the connection to the LLM is legally exposed to you. | Encompasses the router *and* the downstream LLM providers. |
| Liability Shift | You carry 100% of the vendor risk and legal liability for the providers. | We take the responsibility for our downstream providers. |
### Certified security level :badge-check:
ISO 27001 represents the European gold standard for information security. We closely monitor our partners’ security levels and certification statuses. In the selection grid, providers holding an active ISO certification feature a verification badge :badge-check:. Choose these badged providers to seamlessly enforce ISO 27001 compliance throughout your value chain.
### Fine-grained settings
**Compliance Settings** define rules that control how your data is handled, either **project-wide** or **per request**.
These settings allow you to enforce compliance and governance requirements across a project, or override them selectively for individual requests when needed.
Use the pages below to configure specific controls:
* 🇪🇺 **Sovereign Cloud:** Restrict routing to providers based and regulated within the EU.
* 🗑️ **Zero Data Retention (ZDR):** Route requests only to endpoints that do not retain data.
* ⚡ **Quantization** : Allow requests to be routed to **quantized endpoints**
{% hint style="info" %}
By default, all requests remain within Europe and your data is not used for AI training. You can use additional settings to further customize specific routing requirements.
{% endhint %}
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