What is Privacy by Design?
Privacy by Design is a proactive approach that embeds data protection safeguards into the design and architecture of IT systems, business practices, and products from the earliest stages of development.
Privacy by Design (PbD) is a framework developed by Dr. Ann Cavoukian that requires privacy to be considered and integrated into the design and development of systems, processes, and products from the outset, rather than being added as an afterthought. The concept was codified into law by the GDPR under Article 25, which requires data protection by design and by default.
The seven foundational principles of Privacy by Design are: proactive not reactive (preventative not remedial), privacy as the default setting, privacy embedded into design, full functionality (positive-sum not zero-sum), end-to-end security (full lifecycle protection), visibility and transparency (keep it open), and respect for user privacy (keep it user-centric). Under the GDPR, controllers must implement appropriate technical and organizational measures designed to implement data protection principles effectively.
Implementing Privacy by Design requires collaboration between privacy, engineering, and business teams. IQWorks supports PbD through DiscoverIQ for understanding data flows during the design phase, ClassifyIQ for identifying data sensitivity before systems are built, and ComplyIQ for tracking privacy requirements across development projects.
Relevant Regulations
How IQWorks Helps
Related Terms
Privacy by Default
Privacy by Default means that the strictest privacy settings automatically apply when a customer acquires a new product or service, without requiring any manual input or configuration by the individual.
Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA)
A Data Protection Impact Assessment is a systematic process for evaluating the potential impact of a data processing activity on individuals' privacy, required under the GDPR for processing likely to result in high risk to data subjects.
Data Minimization
Data minimization is a core data protection principle requiring organizations to collect and process only the personal data that is strictly necessary for the specified purpose, and no more.
Data Governance
Data governance is the overall management of data availability, usability, integrity, and security within an organization, establishing policies, procedures, and accountability for data management.