First published November 2017
With the GDPR around the corner, companies throughout Europe have had to re-examine both their business structures and practices. With the new regulations relating to data protection, Data Protection Impact Assessments are set to become compulsory. But what are Data PIA’s? And how does a company go about completing them?
Data Protection Impact Assessments will be mandatory for any new high-risk processing projects a company takes on once the GDPR comes into force on May 25th, 2018. As with all other areas of these new regulations, a considerable amount of preparation is needed if a company is to be fully compliant in time for the start date.
It is a serious undertaking, with companies who fail to meet their Data PIA obligations facing fines of as much as €10 million, or 2% of their annual global turnover for the preceding financial year (whichever is higher).
With such heavy consequences to face, the need to properly handle the new obligation is acute. So, what can your organisation do to make sure they satisfy expectations and comply with the terms stipulated in the GDPR?
What is a Data PIA?
Data protection and privacy are major concerns for the EU and a Data Protection Impact Assessment is part of their plan to ensure the highest level of data protection is achieved and maintained. One key issue is the need to protect data transferred to third-party countries or organisations outside the EU.
A Data PIA is essentially a risk assessment of the processes your organisation uses when dealing with personal data. If you process personal data that is likely to be high risk to the data subject’s rights, an assessment must be carried out before the process starts.
Through the Data PIA, an organisation will become more aware of the data protection risks connected with a particular project and, as a result, introduce the measures needed to better protect against data breaches.
The Data Controller will be responsible for carrying out assessments, specifically in relation to the impact it will have on the security of personal data. Some companies may decide to appoint a dedicated Data Protection Officer (DPO), but the Data Controller will still be accountable.
Just some of the risk individuals (whether employees or clients) are facing include:
Who Needs To Carry Out A Data PIA?
The assessment is not compulsory for every business. It only relates to:
What Your Data PIA Must Contain
A Data Protection Impact Assessment has a very clear purpose. As such, there are definite types of information that the assessment is expected to include. The GDPA details the minimum features that the assessment should contain. These include:
6 Steps To Completing Your Data PIA
For more reading on the subject of the GDPR and Data Protection Impact Assessments, you can read details provided by: