Datenschutzfolgenabschätzungen

Datenschutzfolgen, or privacy consequences, refer to the potential effects on individuals and groups resulting from the collection, processing, storage, and sharing of personal data. They arise in many contexts, from simple data collection for service improvement to complex profiling and automated decision-making. The concept focuses on the risks to privacy, autonomy, and security, as well as any unintended social or economic impacts.

Common consequences include exposure of sensitive information, identity theft, profiling and discrimination, reduced autonomy due to opaque decision-making, surveillance concerns, reputational damage, and chilling effects that alter behavior.

To manage these risks, data protection frameworks require assessment, notably the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) under GDPR for high-risk processing. A DPIA typically identifies processing purposes, data categories, data recipients, retention periods, and safeguards; it evaluates necessity and proportionality, assesses risks to rights and freedoms, and outlines mitigation measures such as data minimization, pseudonymization, encryption, access controls, and governance processes.

Legal context includes GDPR and national laws; individuals have rights such as access, correction, deletion, restriction of processing, and objection to processing; organizations must document DPIAs and consult supervisory authorities where appropriate.

In practice, addressing Datenschutzfolgen emphasizes privacy by design and by default, transparency, and continuous risk monitoring throughout a project cycle.