Free Practice Questions for IAPP CIPP-E Exam

 According to Article 33 of the GDPR, processors must notify controllers without undue delay after becoming aware of a personal data breach1. Even though Leon and Fred did not disclose the data to anyone else, the unauthorized access and copying of the log files still constitutes a personal data breach2. Therefore, Techiva, as a processor, has a legal responsibility to report it to TripBliss Inc., as the controller. The other options are not legal obligations for processors, although they may be good practices or contractual terms. References:

Free CIPP/E Study Guide, page 32, section 4.1.2

CIPP/E Certification, page 27, section 4.1.2

Cipp-e Study guides, Class notes & Summaries, page 38, section 4.1.2

New IAPP CIPP-E Exam Practice Questions, question 141

Processors’ responsibilities, paragraph 2

According to Article 14 of the GDPR, if the controller obtains personal data from other sources, such as third parties or publicly accessible sources, the controller must provide the data subject with the necessary privacy information, such as the identity and contact details of the controller, the purposes and legal basis of the processing, the categories of personal data concerned, the recipients or categories of recipients of the personal data, and the rights of the data subject. The controller must provide this information within a reasonable period after obtaining the personal data, but no later than one month, having regard to the specific circumstances in which the personal data are processed. However, there are some exceptions to this rule, such as if the data subject already has the information, if the provision of the information proves impossible or would involve a disproportionate effort, if the obtaining or disclosure of the data is expressly laid down by EU or member state law, or if the personal data must remain confidential subject to an obligation of professional secrecy12. References:

GDPR, Article 14

Free CIPP/E Study Guide, page 19, section 2.5.1

CIPP/E Certification, page 14, section 1.2.1

Art. 14 GDPR - Information to be provided where personal data have not been obtained from the data subject

Article 14 GDPR - GDPRhub

Article 80(1) of the GDPR states that the data subject shall have the right to mandate a not-for-profit body, organisation or association which has been properly constituted in accordance with the law of a Member State, has statutory objectives which are in the public interest, and is active in the field of the protection of data subjects’ rights and freedoms with regard to the protection of their personal data to lodge the complaint on his or her behalf, to exercise the rights referred to in Articles 77, 78 and 79 on his or her behalf, and to exercise the right to receive compensation referred to in Article 82 on his or her behalf1. These not-for-profit bodies, organisations or associations are commonly referred to as civil society organizations, as they represent the interests of citizens and groups in the public sphere2. The other options are not correct because: (A) Law firm organizations are not necessarily not-for-profit or active in the field of data protection; © Human rights organizations are a subset of civil society organizations, but not all civil society organizations are focused on human rights; (D) Constitutional rights organizations are also a subset of civil society organizations, but not all civil society organizations are concerned with constitutional rights. References: 1: Article 80(1) of the GDPR; 2: Free CIPP/E Study Guide, page 48.

The “soft opt-in” rule is an exception to the general requirement of obtaining consent before sending electronic mail marketing to individuals. It applies when the following conditions are met12:

the sender has obtained the contact details of the recipient in the context of the sale or negotiations for the sale of a product or service to that recipient;

the sender only sends direct marketing relating to its own similar products or services; and

the recipient has been given a simple opportunity to refuse or opt out of the marketing, both when the details were initially collected and in every subsequent message.

The option B matches these conditions, as it implies that the individual has shown an interest in buying a product from the sender, and that the sender can use the individual’s details to send marketing about similar products, as long as the individual can easily opt out. The other options do not qualify for the “soft opt-in” rule, as they either involve no consent, no prior relationship, or no opt-out mechanism. References: Electronic mail marketing | ICO, Direct marketing rules and exceptions under the GDPR

 According to the ICO guidance on the use of cookies and similar technologies1, browser settings and other control mechanisms can be relied upon for the lawful application of cookies only if they meet the following conditions:

They are designed to protect users’ privacy and provide them with control over the use of cookies and similar technologies;

They are prominent and easy to use, and do not require users to take unnecessary steps or provide unnecessary information;

They are specific and granular enough to allow users to express their preferences for different types and purposes of cookies and similar technologies;

They are sufficiently informed and clear about the cookies and similar technologies that will be set or accessed, and the purposes for which they will be used;

They are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect any changes in the cookies and similar technologies that are used or the purposes for which they are used;

They are not overridden or circumvented by other software or settings that may interfere with users’ choices;

They provide an effective means of withdrawing consent at any time.

Therefore, browser settings and other control mechanisms can be a valid way of obtaining consent for cookies and similar technologies, but only if they meet these high standards and ensure that users have a real and meaningful choice over the use of cookies and similar technologies on their devices. References: 1 How do we comply with the cookie rules? | ICO. Available at: 4 (Accessed: 11 December 2023).

The GDPR applies to the processing of personal data in the context of the activities of an establishment of a controller or a processor in the EU, regardless of whether the processing takes place in the EU or not. The GDPR also applies to the processing of personal data of data subjects who are in the EU by a controller or processor not established in the EU, where the processing activities are related to the offering of goods or services to such data subjects in the EU or the monitoring of their behaviour as far as their behaviour takes place within the EU1. Therefore, after leaving the EU under the terms of Brexit, the UK became a third country for the purposes of the GDPR, meaning that personal data transfers from the EU to the UK are subject to the rules on international data transfers under Chapter V of the GDPR2. In order to ensure the continuity and stability of data flows between the EU and the UK, the UK sought an adequacy decision from the European Commission, which is a formal recognition that a third country provides an equivalent level of data protection to that of the EU3. On 28 June 2021, the European Commission adopted two adequacy decisions in respect of the UK: one for transfers under the GDPR and the other for transfers under the Law Enforcement Directive (LED)4. These decisions allow personal data to flow freely from the EU to the UK without any further safeguard being necessary, and are expected to last until 27 June 2025, unless they are amended, suspended or repealed earlier5. References:

GDPR, Article 3

GDPR, Chapter V

Data protection adequacy for non-EU countries, section “Adequacy decisions”

UK government welcomes the European Commission’s draft data adequacy decisions

Adequacy, section “What does the EU GDPR adequacy decision say?”

 According to the CIPP/E study guide, the Data Protection Law Enforcement Directive (LED) is a piece of EU legislation that ensures the protection of personal data of individuals involved in criminal proceedings, be it as witnesses, victims or suspects1. The LED applies to the processing of personal data by competent authorities for the purposes of the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences or the execution of criminal penalties2. Article 4 of the LED sets out the principles relating to the processing of personal data, which include lawfulness, fairness, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity and confidentiality3. Article 4 (1) (e) of the LED states that personal data shall be processed lawfully, where processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out by a competent authority for the purposes of the LED, and where processing is based on Union or Member State law which shall meet an objective of general interest, respect the essence of the right to the protection of personal data and be proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued3. Therefore, a government can carry out covert investigations involving personal data, as long as it is set forth by law and constitutes a measure that is both necessary and proportionate to the objective of general interest, such as the prevention or prosecution of criminal offences. References: 1: CIPP/E study guide, page 1; Data protection in law enforcement2: CIPP/E study guide, page 2; Art. 2 LED3: CIPP/E study guide, page 3; Art. 4 LED.

According to Article 83 of the GDPR, the less severe administrative fines of up to 10 million euros or 2% of the annual worldwide turnover apply to infringements of the articles governing controllers and processors, certification bodies, and monitoring bodies. These include Articles 8, 11, 25-39, 42, and 43. Among the answer choices, only option B falls under this category, as Article 25 requires controllers to implement data protection by design and by default. Option A is related to Article 7, which governs the conditions for consent. Option C is related to Article 5, which sets out the principles for processing personal data. Option D is related to Article 16, which grants the right to rectification to data subjects. These articles are subject to the more severe administrative fines of up to 20 million euros or 4% of the annual worldwide turnover. References:

GDPR Article 83

GDPR Article 25

GDPR Article 7

GDPR Article 5

GDPR Article 16

 According to the GDPR, the lead supervisory authority is the supervisory authority with the primary responsibility for dealing with a cross-border processing activity, for example when a data subject makes a complaint about the processing of his or her personal data. The lead supervisory authority is determined according to the location of the main establishment or the single establishment of the controller or processor in the EU. The main establishment is the place where the decisions about the purposes and means of the processing are taken, or where the controller has its central administration in the EU. The single establishment is the only place where the controller or processor is established in the EU. Therefore, in this scenario, T-Craze’s lead supervisory authority is Germany, because that is where T-Craze is headquartered and where it has its main product-design office, which implies that the decisions about the processing of personal data are taken there. The other options are not correct, because the location of the processing, the market or the affiliates are not relevant for determining the lead supervisory authority. References: Free CIPP/E Study Guide, page 39; CIPP/E Certification, page 19; GDPR, Article 4(16), Article 4(22), Article 56, Recital 36.