The Centre for Information Policy Leadership (“CIPL”) at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP recently published a Q&A document on organizational accountability in data protection (the “Q&A”).

While CIPL has written extensively about the concept of organizational accountability over many years, the Q&A is designed to clarify frequently raised questions about accountability and provide greater context and understanding of the concept, including for law and policy makers considering data privacy legislation around the globe.

The Q&A covers a range of questions, including:

  • What is “accountability”?
  • What is “accountability” not?
  • Is accountability enforceable?
  • Accountability is in the GDPR – is it a foreign concept to U.S. law?
  • Is accountability just another way of saying “comply with the law”?
  • What benefits do formal accountability schemes, such as CBPRs, offer?
  • Why should lawmakers and regulators provide companies with incentives to be accountable?

To read the answers to these questions and more, please view the Q&A.