Question

The Australian Government Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) recommends that organisations that embark on a project need to conduct a Privacy Impact Analysis (PIA). You are embarking on a project that will involve rolling out a nation wide system for managing taxes for individuals and businesses in Australia. Detail and map the 10 steps recommended as part of PIA by OAIC on how this project can have an impact on individuals' privacy and make recommendations for managing, minimising or eliminating privacy impacts.

Answer 1

The 10 steps recommended by as part of PIA by OAIC are:

1. Threshold Assessment
2. Plan
3. Describe the project
4. Identify and consult the stakeholders
5. Map personal information flows
6. Recommendations
7. Privacy Management
8. Prepare the report
9. Privacy impact analysis and compliance check
10. Respond and review

Privacy Impact Assessment is very much essential when a project is being reviewed or when a project is in the building phase or when a project is being designed. Through this assessment, the user can analyze how much personal information would be shared or disclosed and how much it will affect an individual's life.

As the project is being started that involves rolling out a nationwide system for managing taxes for individuals and businesses in Australia, it is very much important to check the 10 steps recommended by privacy Impact of Assessment.

1. Threshold Assessment: In this when a project is being started or is in progress, it's very much necessary to study the type of data it is going to process in the project. This is required if confidential data of the public is required. Since the product revolves around the tax system, it requires a lot of personal information. Hence this assessment is required.

2. Plan: Once it confirmed that the assessment is required then the next important step is to plan the assessment, how the assessment will be conducted. Hence to note the details of the taxpayers and the amount of tax they pay, it is very much important to plan a confidential way to get data from users. A secure and authentic system is required.

3. Describe the project: It is a very important step. Detailed information about the project, the working is required so that while acquiring data from the users, the information can be shared with them so that they feel safe and secure.

4. Identify and concern the stakeholders: It is very much imprtant that before designing the project we test the project on some users to get some hint and idea what all problems or loopholes could be possible and hence designing the project by eliminating those loopholes to the best extent possible.

5. Map information flow: It is very much important clear form is created to accept the data from a user that is required to process the project. Every information or detail that is required should be clearly asked so that neither the user feels unsafe or cheated nor any detail is missed.

6. Recommendations: Often recommendations should be taken and considered so as to improvise and improve the system.

7.Privacy management: This is one of the most important step i.e. ensuring there is no risk or threat of data theft. Since the tax system require confidential details and data needs to be secure and privately protected.

8. Prepare the report: Proper report should be generated which clearly explains the working of the process and the input, support required from the users.

9. Privacy impact analysis and compliance check: This step could be used to understand how much feasible the project is, how much helpful it is for th public. This can be used to study and make necessary amendments if required.

10. Respond and review: Once the project has been created then ensuring it is executed to the best extent possible, mainitaing regular checks and hence responding to queries and reviewing the data consisitently.

In this project of nationwide system for managing taxes for individual and businesses, the project can be made more secure, minimize and eliminate the privacy impact by ensuring all the avaialble data is secure and encrypted so that it's hard to crack. Also it's very important that data stored is protected and authentic. Ensuring no fake data is captured from the users, hence verifying each and every detail carefully.