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Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA)
When you launch a new project, system or process involving personal information, a Privacy Impact Assessment gives you the structure to identify and address privacy risk while the design is still open.
Build privacy into every project from day one
A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) gives you a structured way to identify and address privacy risks before a new project, system, or process goes live. Privacy considerations shape the design while changes are still cheap to make.
For organizations under PIPEDA and provincial privacy legislation, a PIA demonstrates accountability and due diligence in how personal information is handled. Where you have European operations or clients, it also provides much of the groundwork for a Data Protection Impact Assessment under GDPR.
When your organization needs a PIA
A PIA is recommended whenever you introduce new technologies, systems or processes involving personal information. The following scenarios typically call for one:
Systematic profiling or automated decision-making
Processing that could have significant effects on individuals, including decisions made without human involvement.
Large-scale processing of sensitive information
Handling personal information at scale, particularly where disclosure could cause harm.
Monitoring of individuals in public spaces
Video surveillance, Wi-Fi analytics, sensors or other systems that observe people in publicly accessible locations.
Merging or matching datasets
Combining data from different sources in ways that could have unintended privacy implications.
Cross-border data transfers
Moving personal information to jurisdictions whose privacy standards differ from Canada's.
New technologies affecting data collection
Introducing systems or tools that change how personal information is collected, used or disclosed.
What a PIA delivers
A well-run PIA keeps paying back long after the report lands. The benefits that typically follow:
Risk identified before processing begins
Understand the privacy risks to individuals while the design is still open and safeguards are straightforward to add.
Trust with customers and stakeholders
Show individuals, customers and partners that their privacy is taken seriously, which strengthens those relationships.
Privacy designed in from the start
Avoid the cost and disruption of retrofitting safeguards into a live system.
Lower operational cost
Streamlined information flows and less unnecessary data collection.
Evidence for vendor and procurement reviews
Organizations increasingly ask partners to demonstrate their privacy practices before signing. A completed PIA is documented evidence, ready when it's asked for.
Where a PIA leaves you
Our cyber security and privacy specialists work with you to identify risk and build practical mitigation measures, bringing the findings together in a single report. That report gives you a basis for due diligence, a risk management strategy, and stronger privacy practices across the organization.
PIA related services
Privacy Officer as a Service
Penetration Testing
Threat Intelligence Services
Gartner Recognized
We are thrilled to share that Integrity360 has been recognized as a Gartner Representative Vendor in 4 of their Market Guides, including: Managed Security Services, Managed Detection and Response and Managed SIEM Services.
Gartner has included a range of providers within its market guide for managed services to ensure clear coverage from a geographical, vertical and capabilities perspective. Those included in the Gartner market guide display clarity in the vision for an end-user outcome-focused offering distinct from a pure technology-driven offering.
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Privacy Impact Assessment FAQs
Is a PIA legally required in Canada?
Under PIPEDA, a PIA isn't a strict legal requirement for most private-sector organizations, unlike a DPIA under GDPR. It is, however, the clearest way to meet PIPEDA's accountability principle, which does require you to be able to demonstrate your privacy practices when asked. If your organization operates in the public sector or under other regulated frameworks, a PIA may be mandatory, so it's worth confirming your specific obligations.
Is a PIA the same as a DPIA?
Yes. Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is the term used in Canada under PIPEDA, while Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is the equivalent term under the EU and UK GDPR. Both describe the same process of proactively identifying and addressing privacy risk.
Do we need a dedicated privacy officer to run a PIA?
No. Many organizations we work with don't have a dedicated privacy officer or DPO in place. Our team can lead the PIA process directly alongside your existing IT, security, or operations staff, and help you determine who from your organization needs to be involved.
How long does a PIA take, and what's involved?
Timelines vary with the size and complexity of the project. However, most PIAs move through three stages:
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Scoping the project and the personal information involved
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Assessing risk and identifying mitigation measures, and
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Delivering a report with clear recommendations.
We'll give you a specific timeline once we understand your specific project requirements.
Who should be involved in the process?
It depends on your organization, but typically includes IT and security staff, legal or compliance advisors if you have them, and the business stakeholders closest to the project. We'll help you identify who needs to be at the table, even without a dedicated privacy officer in place.
Can Integrity360 help with cross-border data transfers?
Yes. If your organization transfers personal information outside Canada, whether to the US, EU, or elsewhere, we assess the privacy risk and help you develop safeguards as part of the PIA process.
What happens after we receive the PIA report?
You'll have a clear picture of your privacy risk and a set of practical recommendations to address it. Some organizations action those recommendations internally; others ask us to help implement them or provide ongoing support, such as through Privacy Officer as a Service, if there's no one in-house to own privacy day to day.
What makes Integrity360's PIA service different?
We bring cybersecurity and privacy expertise together instead of treating them as separate disciplines. Rather than a generic template, you get a risk-focused assessment built around your organization's environment, sector, and how you actually process personal information.
