Question 29
Domain 4 — Privacy Risk Assessment and Compliance ValidationWhich key stakeholder within an organization should be responsible for approving the outcomes of a privacy impact assessment (PIA)?
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The data owner is responsible for approving PIA outcomes because they are accountable for the business data and its use. A privacy impact assessment identifies privacy risks and required controls, and approval should come from the stakeholder who owns the data and can authorize its processing.
Why each option is right or wrong
A. Data custodian
A data custodian manages storage and protection controls, not final business approval authority.
B. Privacy data analyst
A privacy data analyst assesses findings and supports decisions, but usually does not authorize them.
C. Data processor
A data processor handles data on behalf of another party and is not the accountable owner.
D. Data owner
Under common PIA governance frameworks, the approval authority sits with the business/data owner because they are accountable for the lawful purpose, use, and risk acceptance of the data set being assessed. In practice, the PIA outcome is signed off by the stakeholder who can authorize processing and accept residual privacy risk; privacy or security teams may draft the assessment, but they do not own the business decision.