A privacy impact assessment (PIA) is a process that helps assess privacy risk to individuals in the collection, use and disclosure of information. PIA’s are used to help identify privacy risks, foresee problems and bring forward solutions.
The primary purpose of a PIA is to ensure we act responsibly in relation to privacy. PIA’s are not a legal requirement however demonstrate best practice and transparency. The ultimate focus of the PIA is to demonstrate compliance with the Data Protection Act and also ensure compliance with any other relevant legislation has been considered.
The privacy assessment can be done at various levels, ranging from a full PIA to a basic DPA compliance check. The level required will depend on the level of privacy risk posed by the project.