privacybydesignprincipes

Privacybydesignprincipes refers to a set of design principles that embed privacy considerations into the development and operation of information systems, processes, and policies from the outset and throughout their lifecycle. The concept is commonly understood as Privacy by Design.

Origin: The framework was formulated by Ann Cavoukian, then Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner, in the 1990s. It promotes proactive privacy, rather than reactive, and argues for embedding privacy into technology, governance, and practices.

Core principles: The seven foundational principles are: Proactive not Reactive; Privacy by Design; Privacy as the Default; Full Functionality – Positive-Sum, not Zero-Sum; End-to-End Security – Lifecycle Protection; Visibility and Transparency; Respect for User Privacy – Keep Users in Control.

Relation to law: The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation incorporates the idea of data protection by design and by default in Article 25, reflecting the influence of PbD principles on regulatory expectations.

Implementation: Practitioners apply privacybydesignprincipes through data minimization, purpose limitation, pseudonymization, secure defaults, ongoing privacy impact assessments, documentation, accountability measures, and regular audits.

Criticism and limitations: Critics point to ambiguous execution, potential conflicts with functionality, and the need for organizational commitment and cross-disciplinary collaboration; measuring privacy outcomes can be difficult. Nonetheless, the principles influence many privacy-by-design initiatives and standards.