CISA Protection of Information Assets Practice Question
Which of the following is the PRIMARY purpose of conducting a privacy impact assessment (PIA)?
⚠ Common exam trap
CISA often tests the distinction between the primary purpose of a PIA (risk identification and mitigation) and secondary outcomes like compliance or documentation, causing candidates to select a broader or more familiar concept such as legal compliance.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
To identify privacy risks and recommend mitigations
The PRIMARY purpose of a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is to systematically identify and assess privacy risks associated with a project, system, or process, and to recommend mitigation measures. It is a proactive risk management tool that helps organizations understand how personal information is collected, used, shared, and retained, and to address potential privacy harms before they occur. While compliance with laws and documenting processing activities are outcomes or components, the core objective is risk identification and mitigation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
To document the data processing activities
Why it's wrong here
Documenting processing activities is the purpose of records of processing (such as GDPR Article 30 registers), not a PIA. It is tempting because a PIA does describe data flows, but its primary purpose is identifying and mitigating privacy risks to individuals arising from a processing initiative.
- ✗
To obtain consent from data subjects
Why it's wrong here
Consent is a lawful basis for processing obtained from data subjects, not the purpose of a PIA. It is tempting because privacy assessments often touch consent mechanisms, but the PIA's primary aim is identifying and mitigating privacy risks arising from a processing activity before it begins.
- ✗
To ensure compliance with data protection laws
Why it's wrong here
Legal compliance is an outcome that a PIA supports, but the assessment's primary purpose is identifying and mitigating privacy risks to individuals, not merely ticking regulatory boxes. It is tempting because PIAs are often mandated by law, yet compliance frameworks exist separately from the risk-analysis objective.
- ✓
To identify privacy risks and recommend mitigations
Why this is correct
A privacy impact assessment systematically examines a processing activity to identify privacy risks and recommend mitigations before harm occurs. This proactive risk identification and treatment is its primary purpose, distinguishing it from breach response, consent collection or regulatory notification.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISACA exam blueprint
This CISA practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CISA exam.