A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), also referred to as a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA), is a structured internal assessment examining how personally identifiable information is processed within a specific data processing operation. Its purpose is to ensure regulatory compliance, identify and assess privacy risks, and define appropriate mitigation measures.
Accordingly, a DPIA serves both as a methodological risk analysis and as a formal accountability document describing the processing activities, the risks identified, and the safeguards implemented.
To determine whether a DPIA is required, the contemplated processing activity must be assessed against two distinct sets of criteria:
International criteria, notably the 10 risk indicators identified by the Article 29 Working Party (G29), now endorsed by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB).
National criteria, which depend on the jurisdiction in which the processing is carried out and may include additional mandatory triggers defined by the competent supervisory authority.
A DPIA becomes mandatory when the processing is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals under the applicable legal framework.
For each principle of GDPR or any applicable law, we will begin to outline how the process addresses each of those components and structure this information into a formal report.
We carry out a risk analysis against three criteria: the potential for loss of data, disclosure of data, and alteration of data. We assess the risks on the privacy of the data subjects and how they are currently being mitigated by the security measures implemented.
We conclude the DPIA by highlighting all the areas where your processing activity is non-compliant to regulatory standards and then provide a comprehensive plan of action and recommendations to achieve compliance.
