Data Protection and Privacy
This domain tests how information is classified, handled, shared, retained and destroyed, plus the privacy principles that govern personal data. Items ask you to choose the correct handling action for a given data type or transfer scenario.
Classification drives handling
Typical tiers run public, internal, confidential, restricted. Labels determine storage location, sharing method and who may access the data under need to know. Unlabeled data defaults to the highest plausible tier until classified.
Privacy principles to recognize
Lawfulness and fairness, purpose limitation, data minimization, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity and confidentiality, and accountability. Consent is one lawful basis, not the only one. Individuals have rights: access, correction, deletion, objection and portability, depending on jurisdiction. Pseudonymized data can still be personal data; only properly anonymized data falls outside scope.
Protect data in all three states
At rest: encryption, file permissions, access reviews. In transit: TLS, approved file-transfer services, VPN. In use: screen privacy, shoulder-surfing awareness, controlled printing and clean desk.
Retention and disposal
Follow the retention schedule and honor legal hold, which suspends deletion. Shred paper, wipe or cryptographically erase media, degauss magnetic media, and keep certificates of destruction for regulated data. Deleting a file does not erase it from backups or free space.
Worked example
An analyst must send a customer list to a partner. Steps: classify the list as personal data, minimize the fields to only what the partner needs, confirm the purpose and lawful basis, use the approved encrypted transfer portal rather than personal webmail or an open share link, log the transfer, and apply the agreed retention period. Reasoning: each step reduces exposure and preserves accountability, and the chosen channel supports audit.
Marks that are easy to lose
- Confusing privacy with security; they overlap but are not the same.
- Assuming consent is always required or always sufficient.
- Treating pseudonymized data as anonymous.
- Sending personal data through personal email because it is faster.
- Ignoring legal hold when a deletion request arrives.