What is the purpose of a privacy impact assessment in inquiries?

What is the purpose of a privacy impact assessment in inquiries?

• A. To monitor system performance after deployment.
• B. To identify and mitigate privacy risks before implementing new processes or tools.
• C. To train staff on privacy policies.
• D. To archive old records for legal purposes.

Answer: (B)

A privacy impact assessment is a proactive check that looks at how a project handles personal data before it goes live. Its purpose is to identify privacy risks early and put safeguards in place to mitigate them before new processes or tools are implemented. By mapping data flows, data types, purposes, sharing, retention, and the legal basis, it helps ensure privacy-by-design—choosing controls like minimization, access controls, encryption, anonymization, and clear retention periods. This reduces the chance of privacy breaches and helps meet regulatory requirements. Monitoring system performance, training staff, or archiving records are important tasks, but they address different aspects—not the primary aim of a privacy impact assessment.