Does your organization have a data privacy policy?

This question is asking whether your organization has a formal, documented policy that specifically addresses data privacy. A data privacy policy outlines how an organization collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal and sensitive information. It defines the organization's commitment to privacy principles, compliance with relevant regulations (like GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA), and the rights of individuals whose data you process. Why it's being asked in a security assessment: 1. Regulatory compliance: Many regulations require organizations to have formal privacy policies 2. Risk management: A privacy policy demonstrates that you've thought through how to handle sensitive data 3. Transparency: It shows you're transparent with users/customers about data practices 4. Governance: It indicates you have governance structures around data handling How to best answer it: - Be truthful about whether you have a formal policy document - If you have one, briefly describe its scope and when it was last updated - Mention if it's publicly available and where (e.g., website) - Note any specific regulations it addresses - If you don't have one but have related policies or are developing one, explain that Remember that having a policy is just the first step - the assessor may follow up with questions about how the policy is implemented and enforced.