What is A Privacy Impact Assessment?
Current advances in online technology, cloud computing, mobile phone technology and social media have revolutionized modern business and government operations. Much of the personal information is shared across the Internet but not encrypted. Confidential data is too often lost because of online security breaches. The public expects strong privacy protection, programs, and processes to safeguard their information.
A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is a structure review of an information system to identify and mitigate risks, including risks to confidentiality, at every stage of the system life cycle. PIA states what personally identifiable information (PII) is collected and provides a systematic means of answering questions such as:
- What personal data are you processing?
- How is it being processed?
- What are the existing measures for data protection??
- What aspects of processing can potentially cause harm to concerned individuals, the organization, or the public?
- How can the risks of harm be addressed?
Who needs to comply?
Any business or federal agencies responsible for introducing new or revised service or changes a new system, process or information asset is (the Information Asset Owner – IAO) responsible for ensuring the completion of a PIA and therefore must be effectively informed of these procedures.
U.S. federal law requires compliance and commitment to ensure personal identifiable information (PII) is managed with the utmost priority and care. The Privacy Act and The Section 208 of the E-Government Law requires that federal agencies maintain and protect PII, and it establishes the requirement for agencies to conduct Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA) for electronic information systems and collections. It also requires each federal agency to publish notice of its system of records (SORN) in the Federal Register and to allow individuals to request access to and make corrections to their record.
To ensure compliance with federal law, all systems that collect PII must be evaluated to determine how information is collected, secured, stored, retrieved, shared, and managed. M-03-22, OMB Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002, provides direction to federal agencies on conducting PIAs.
Why is it important to conduct a PIA?
A Privacy Impact Assessment enables an organization to implement a risk-based approach to data protection. Provision of a system that allows for an early warning that privacy may be breached, implement safeguards, and prevent future privacy issues.
A PIA also demonstrates an organization’s commitment to comply with data protection laws, and shows that it admits to being accountable for all the personal data it processes. This aids the organization in gaining the confidence and trust of the public. If the PIA is conducted for the entire organization, it will also facilitate and assist in meeting the registration requirements of the National Privacy Commission, including the maintenance of records of the organization’s processing activities. Critical information necessary to improve existing policies and procedures, including privacy notices, will also be obtained.
How WCG will help you?
Wilson Consulting Group (WCG) understands the risks posed by privacy violations. WCG assists organizations and government agencies to conduct Privacy Impact Assessments by following these steps:
- Identify the need for PIA
- Describe the data flows
- Identify privacy risks
- Identify privacy solutions
- Record PIA outcomes
- Integrate outcomes into project plan
WCG focuses on privacy threats and breaches that affect organizations and helps them mitigate risk and manage exposures. Our Privacy Impact Assessments guarantees that privacy risks are identified, evaluated, and remediated. Why not be one step ahead by protecting personal data within your organization now?