Which of the following actions should the privacy officer take first?

An organization’s privacy officer was just notified by the benefits manager that she accidentally sent out the retirement enrollment report of all employees to a wrong vendor.

Which of the following actions should the privacy officer take first?
A . Perform a risk of harm analysis.
B . Report the incident to law enforcement.
C . Contact the recipient to delete the email.
D . Send firm-wide email notification to employees.

View Answer

Answer: A

Explanation:

The first action that the privacy officer should take after being notified by the benefits manager that she accidentally sent out the retirement enrollment report of all employees to a wrong vendor is to perform a risk of harm analysis. A risk of harm analysis is a process of assessing the potential adverse consequences for the individuals whose personal data has been compromised by a data breach or incident5 The purpose of this analysis is to determine whether the breach or incident poses a significant risk of harm to the affected individuals, such as identity theft, fraud, discrimination, physical harm, emotional distress, or reputational damage6 The risk of harm analysis should consider various factors, such as the type and amount of data involved, the sensitivity and context of the data, the likelihood and severity of harm, the characteristics of the recipients or unauthorized parties who accessed the data, and the mitigating measures taken or available to reduce the harm7 Based on this analysis, the privacy officer can then decide whether to notify the affected individuals, the relevant authorities, or other stakeholders about the breach or incident. Notification is usually required by law or best practice when there is a high risk of harm to the individuals as a result of the breach or incident8 Notification can also help to mitigate the harm by allowing the individuals to take protective actions or seek remedies. Therefore, performing a risk of harm analysis is a crucial first step for responding to a data breach or incident.

Reference: 5: Can a risk of harm itself be a harm? | Analysis | Oxford Academic; 6: No Harm Done? Assessing Risk of Harm under the Federal Breach Notification Rule; 7: CCOHS: Hazard and Risk – Risk Assessment; 8: Breach Notification Requirements in Canada | PrivacySense.net