privacycentered

Privacy-centered is an approach in which privacy is the central consideration in the lifecycle of a product or service, guiding requirements, architecture, data handling, and governance. It is closely related to privacy by design and privacy-by-default, and is used to describe efforts that seek to minimize personal data processing while maximizing transparency and user control.

Key principles include data minimization (collect only what is necessary), purpose limitation (use data only for stated purposes), user control (consent, preferences, data rights), transparency (clear notices about data practices), security (protect data from unauthorized access), and retention limits (delete data when no longer needed). Implementations often feature privacy-by-default settings, strong access controls, data minimization in data flows, pseudonymization or anonymization where possible, and ongoing privacy impact assessments.

Applications span software development, product design, data governance, and policy making. In practice, privacy-centered teams may employ privacy impact assessments, data maps, privacy engineering, and privacy-friendly defaults across web and mobile apps, cloud services, and Internet of Things devices.

The term is not a formal standard, but is used in conjunction with frameworks such as privacy by design, the NIST Privacy Framework, and ISO/IEC 27701 to describe organizational commitments to privacy. Benefits include improved trust and regulatory alignment; challenges include balancing privacy with usability, cost, and legacy systems, as well as measuring privacy outcomes and ensuring vendor accountability.