15 Common Data Privacy Interview Questions and Answers

Today a large amount of private and sensitive information is shared and stored online; therefore it’s extremely crucial to follow protocols that protect personal data. Hence, data Privacy is one of the most talked about topics in the tech sector. As a result, Data Protection Officers are largely required.

In case you are one among many looking to take up data protection as a career, this blog is exclusively for you. The most commonly asked Data Privacy Interview questions and answers are explained in this blog to help you crack the interview.

List of Top 15 Data Privacy Interview Questions and Answers:

1. How efficiently can we strategise our data? 

 Ans. Most Companies collect personal information from clients in order to give them the best customer experience while reaching sales targets. Nevertheless, gathering information without a proper plan is impossible. Therefore, every business must come up with a strategy on how well to use the data before collecting it. The strategy entails coming up with a plan that helps us effectively use the information to achieve the business goals. 

2. Define the Data Privacy Act 2012 concerning personal and sensitive information.

Ans.  Data Privacy Act 2012 defines personal information as “any information arising from an individual or the identity of an individual, whether or not in physical form” or when combined with other information, a person can be directly identified and confirmed.” To put it briefly, according to the Data Privacy Act 2012, personal data refers to any information that helps in identifying that person. For instance, Marital status, Race, ethnicity, colour, age, and religion as well as details regarding their health, sexual history, genetics etc are considered personal and sensitive information of an individual.  

3. Explain about right to be forgotten concerning data privacy.

Ans. The right to be forgotten is a principle of data privacy that allows individuals to have their data deleted at any time. This right is most importantly useful when it comes to online information, where individuals can express their will to remove their data if it is false, or inappropriate. 

4. Are you aware of data privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA?

Ans. General Data Protection Regulation, known as GDPR in short is a data privacy law that applies to countries in the European Union. On the contrary, the California Consumer Privacy Act or CCPA applies to residents of California. GDPR allows the data controller to determine the purpose and meaning of processing personal data. Similarly, the CCPA dictates how organisations handle California resident’s personal data. 

5. What is the need to establish data privacy laws?

Ans. Primarily, the data privacy law is established to prevent misuse of personal information. Without these laws, there could be a risk of organisations tampering with personal data leading to serious abuse. Data Privacy laws assist companies in being honest about collecting personal data. Therefore, one gets to know about the type of information collected about them. Additionally, data privacy law allows people to have their data removed according to their will. Most importantly, this law gives the freedom to delete data when not in use anymore. 

6. Can you differentiate between anonymization and pseudonymization of data?

Ans. Anonymization is the process of deleting a person’s private data from the database.On the other hand, pseudonymization refers to replacing an individual’s information with random that can be linked back to that individual. 

7. What are a few applications of de-identification information?

Ans. De-identification refers to the process that helps organisations delete information from the data they collect, archive, and share with other organisations. In order, to prevent the privacy of the parties involved, the de-identification is usually done on data that is publicly accessible. Techniques like aggregation, anonymisation, and pseudonymization are used for the process of de-identification. Healthcare and library sectors use this method to protect individual information. 

8. How can you prevent private information from being misused after data analysis?

Ans. There are a few methods to keep the data private. For example, replacing a person’s real with a pseudonym is one way. The other way is to substitute original data with fake data by using anonymised data. Also, data encryption is another best way to prevent unauthorised access to personal data.

9. Do you think you should report security breaches? 

Ans. Yes, security breaches must be reported to higher authorities, or else it can lead to heavy penalties. Therefore notifying higher authorities about security breaches along with resolution plans and security measures must be submitted to higher authorities.

10. How do you think you can balance business requirements while maintaining data privacy? 

Ans. The balance between the both involves implementing procedures and policies that ensure data protection while enhancing the business performance. A data privacy professional must understand the data requirements of business stakeholders and provide them with data while maintaining data protection.  In addition, he/ she must conduct a risk assessment to identify potential security breaches. Furthermore, data privacy professionals should come up with plans to reduce such risks. 

11. What steps a business must take to ensure that data privacy laws are followed?

Ans.  Primarily, the organisation must implement procedures and policies concerning data privacy law. Secondly, employees must be given proper training to follow them. In addition, organisations must use data encryption to protect data in a better way. 

12. Do you think the procedure for handling personal data must be more clear?

Ans. Numerous discussions are happening on the process of handling personal data. While some people believe maintaining transparency allows them to know the way their data is handled others think transparency can lead to confusion. Ultimately, a person can decide what he is willing to accept while sharing personal information. 

13. Who is the data controller and does he have any legal responsibilities?

Ans. A data controller identifies the purpose and means of processing personal data. In some regions, data controllers have legal responsibilities regarding the data they control. For instance,  they ensure that data is accurate and up to date. Also, they prevent unauthorised access and deleting the data when no longer needed. 

14. How to protect Personally Identifiable Information from unauthorised access?

Ans. Data encryption makes it difficult to access the data without the right key

•  Securely storing data also makes it impossible to access it.
• We can reduce the risk of unauthorised transactions by restricting access.

15. How do you think GDPR impacts business worldwide?

Ans. The GDPR is a new system that comes with new regulations to safeguard data privacy. For instance, companies can no longer use sneak-in clauses that customers do not get to read. Therefore, GDPR would impact businesses worldwide. However, the extent of the impact is unknown.

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Learning Benefits to Crack the Data Privacy Interview Questions:

• Data privacy is one of the highest-paid professionals in the world, making data protection a good career choice.
• Over 70,000 Confidential Jobs Open to Professionals in India – Indeed.com.
• Employees Earn Industry-Best Rates.
• Various Sector Job Opportunities Hiring Data Privacy and Protection Specialists.
• Unlock unique career opportunities.
• Enhance your biz card with a Hallmark of Global Credential – Data Privacy Certificate.

Conclusion

Data Protection Officers (DPOs) are responsible for ensuring that the organization’s data complies with data privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA. They act as a contact point between the person whose personal data is processed and the data protection law. The role of DPO involves implementing data protection procedures and policies. In addition, they also educate employees on best practices to avoid security breaches. 

Vertical business processes often manage personal data and data protection plans and the regulatory requirements of various regulatory bodies and jurisdictions. To sum up, Data Privacy Interview Questions evaluate a candidate’s in-depth knowledge of cyber security, ranging from skills to experience.

FAQs

Ques 1. How do you define personal data?

Ans. Personal data or personally identifiable information refers to the data that confirms a person’s identity. For example, phone numbers, addresses, blood groups, social security numbers, bank details, and other personal information are used to identify a person. 

Ques 2. Is it necessary to know where my data is located?

Ans. In order to understand a company’s data risk and to develop a data protection plan, it is essential to know where data is located. That is why data discovery should be part of your effective data protection strategy.

Ques 3. What is data processing? 

Ans. It refers to the process of handling personal data where information of a person is collected and converted into useful information.