What is the role of a privacy impact assessment?

• A. Rules about how long to keep records
• B. Procedures for creating new medical devices
• C. Define technical specifications for a system
• D. Evaluate how a project or system change affects privacy and determine necessary safeguards

Answer: (D)

A privacy impact assessment examines how a project or system change could affect individuals’ privacy and what safeguards are needed to protect that privacy. It involves identifying the personal data involved, assessing risks to privacy (such as unauthorized access, inappropriate sharing, or data minimization issues), and recommending controls like access limitations, encryption, data minimization, retention rules, and governance measures. The goal is to build privacy protections into the design and deployment of the system. This approach specifically targets privacy implications and safeguards, rather than other areas: retention rules focus on how long data is kept, procedures for creating medical devices relate to product development and regulatory steps, and defining technical specifications concentrates on how the system will function rather than evaluating privacy impact.