Spain's AEPD Publishes Draft Privacy Impact Assessment Guide

On 17 March, the Spanish data protection agency (la Agencia Española de Protección de Datos - AEPD) published a draft privacy impact assessment guide (Evaluación del Impacto en materia de Protección de Datos Personales). At the same time, the AEPD has initiated a public consultation, open until 25 April, to garner opinion and comments on the guide, after which they will issue a final version.

The guide sets out a framework to improve privacy and data protection in relation to an organisation's technological developments, with the aim of helping them identify, address and minimise data protection risks prior to the implementation of a new product or service.

In this draft guide, the AEPD comments on the increasing importance for organisations to demonstrate their commitment to the rights of individuals whose personal data they process, and in meeting their legal obligations (essentially advocating the principle of accountability). In this regard, they advise that