Privacy Impact Assessment
A process to systematically identify and address privacy risks in a project, system, or business process.
Full Definition
A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is a risk assessment tool used to identify and address privacy risks in a project, system, or process before implementation. While the term 'DPIA' (Data Protection Impact Assessment) is used specifically in GDPR, 'PIA' is a broader term used in frameworks including NIST Privacy Framework, Canada's PIPEDA, and Australia's Privacy Act. A PIA typically includes: describing the data flows and processing, identifying applicable legal requirements, assessing privacy risks, and documenting how risks will be mitigated. PIAs should be living documents, updated when significant changes occur to the processing.
Related terms
DPIA
Data Protection Impact Assessment — a systematic process to identify and minimise privacy risks in new processing activities.
Data Minimisation
The principle that only personal data that is adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary should be collected and processed.
Privacy by Design
An approach that embeds privacy protections into the design and architecture of systems and processes from the outset.
Relevant regulations
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