DPIA

Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), also previously known as Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs), have a long history as a best practice and are now a mandatory requirement under the UK GDPR for certain high-risk processing activities. The ICO also provides a list of processing activities for which controllers are encouraged to conduct a DPIA as a best practice, even if not strictly mandatory. A significant challenge for many UK organizations is the lack of adequate Records of Processing Activities (ROPAs), which hinders their ability to identify processes requiring DPIAs or those that could benefit from one. Failure to conduct mandatory DPIAs not only violates Article 35 of the UK GDPR but also increases the likelihood of data loss or other infringements on data subjects' rights and freedoms, leading to potential reputational damage, financial claims, and higher cyber insurance premiums.

A DPIA is a data-risk focused process of quantification and mitigation designed to help identify and minimize risks associated with processing personal data. While conducting DPIAs has been considered a best practice for many years, the UK GDPR has elevated their importance by making them mandatory for any processing likely to result in a high risk to individuals.

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