OneTrust Certified Privacy Professional Practice Exam 2026 - Free Privacy Professional Practice Questions and Study Guide

A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is generally required for processing activities that are likely to result in high risks to the rights and freedoms of individuals. The purpose of a DPIA is to assess the impact of proposed data processing activities on personal data protection and privacy, ensuring that any potential risks are identified and mitigated.

In scenarios where processing could involve the extensive use of personal data, automation leading to decisions affecting individuals, or large-scale data handling, a DPIA is particularly crucial. Conducting a DPIA helps organizations understand and prioritize risks, ultimately promoting compliance with data protection regulations such as the GDPR.

In contrast, processing public data or anonymized data does not typically require a DPIA because these are considered lower risk from a privacy perspective. Similarly, processing that is unlikely to pose risks to individuals doesn’t necessitate a DPIA as the assessment is specifically designed for high-risk scenarios. Therefore, the focus on potential high-risk processing makes the choice regarding processing likely to result in high risk to individuals the correct one for when a DPIA is warranted.