A more robust approach to privacy management is required as it has become an integral part of every organization. This led to the creation of the “Privacy Management Program”, which is a more comprehensive and unified approach to privacy management that can be adopted by all companies and agencies.
Why is a Privacy Management program necessary?
Privacy management programs have become a necessity for many organizations, owing to the introduction of GDPR (2018) and other privacy laws like COPPA and PIDA (Canada). This list outlines the reasons why privacy management programs are necessary:
Today, copious amounts of data are flowing around the world. This must be protected
Privacy is now a serious aspect of the organization.
It fosters a privacy culture in the organization for both employees and management.
It also ensures privacy compliance within an organization
It automates privacy management activities, increasing efficiency and accuracy.
Privacy Management Program reduces the risk of privacy breaches and other risks
Components of a Privacy Manager Program:
A PMP consists of three components. These are
Organizational commitment
Program controls
Continual assessment and revision
1. Organizational commitment
As with everything, organizational commitment is essential to ensure privacy is implemented in an enterprise. This is what organizational commitment means:
I. I. Senior management support
Senior management should fully endorse a privacy management plan. They should endorse and support the privacy officer and provide all resources necessary to run the program efficiently and effectively within the organization.
II. II.
The organization must appoint a ‘privacy officer or ‘data protection officer’. Once a DPO or privacy officer has been appointed, the role of that individual must be communicated to everyone within the organization. The privacy officer is responsible for establishing program controls, designing employee training, and conducting regular privacy assessments.
III. III.
Good reporting mechanisms are essential for any privacy management program to be successful. Reporting mechanisms are essential to ensure that privacy programs work as expected. Employees and management can view the reports.
One type of reporting mechanism is the internal review or audit process.
2.Program controls
Program controls allow the organization to comply privacy management practices.
Here are some program controls that you can adopt:
Keep a record of all personal data. This is the first step to implement program controls. An inventory of personal and other identifying information must be kept by the organization. The inventory should include information such as the type and sensitivity of personal information, where it is stored, its location, and the data retention plan.
Policies are the foundation of security landscape. They are also an integral part in privacy management program controls.
It is important to establish policies, procedures, and guidelines regarding the collection of information. These policies allow employees to learn more about how to collect personal information from users, notify users when collecting it, and obtain consent when collecting it.
Other program controls that can be implemented as part of a privacy management program include training employees on the policies and procedures, breach management response, risk assessment, and training them on the PMP.
3. Continual assessment and revision
Every program requires constant monitoring and revision, and the PMP is no different. Continuous monitoring and assessment ensure accountability and compliancy.