CIPP-US Practice Exam Questions and Answers

A company’s employee wellness portal offers an app to track exercise activity via users’ mobile devices. Which of the following design techniques would most effectively inform users of their data privacy rights and privileges when using the app?

SCENARIO

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A US-based startup company is selling a new gaming application. One day, the CEO of the company receives an urgent letter from a prominent EU-based retail partner. Triggered by an unresolved complaint lodged by an EU resident, the letter describes an ongoing investigation by a supervisory authority into the retailer’s data handling practices.

The complainant accuses the retailer of improperly disclosing her personal data, without consent, to parties in the United States. Further, the complainant accuses the EU-based retailer of failing to respond to her withdrawal of consent and request for erasure of her personal data. Your organization, the US-based startup company, was never informed of this request for erasure by the EU-based retail partner. The supervisory authority investigating the complaint has threatened the suspension of data flows if the parties involved do not cooperate with the investigation. The letter closes with an urgent request: “Please act immediately by identifying all personal data received from our company.”

This is an important partnership. Company executives know that its biggest fans come from Western Europe; and this retailer is primarily responsible for the startup’s rapid market penetration.

As the Company’s data privacy leader, you are sensitive to the criticality of the relationship with the retailer.

Under the GDPR, the complainant’s request regarding her personal information is known as what?

What type of material is exempt from an individual’s right to disclosure under the Privacy Act?

What was the original purpose of the Federal Trade Commission Act?

What privacy concept grants a consumer the right to view and correct errors on his or her credit report?

Which of the following laws is NOT involved in the regulation of employee background checks?

What is a legal document approved by a judge that formalizes an agreement between a governmental agency and an adverse party called?

Which is an exception to the general prohibitions on telephone monitoring that exist under the U.S. Wiretap Act?

Which law provides employee benefits, but often mandates the collection of medical information?

According to FERPA, when can a school disclose records without a student’s consent?

Chanel Hair Studio is a busy high-end hair salon. In an effort to maximize efficiency of its operations and reduce wait times for appointments, Chanel decides to implement artificial intelligence software that will use client profiles and history to predict which clients will likely be late for their appointments. Information used to create the client profile included appointment history, distance from the salon, and any references to being tardy pulled from the client’s social media accounts. If a client is predicted to be late, their appointment will be cancelled within 5 minutes.

Based on the details, what is the biggest potential privacy concern related to Chanel’s use of this new software?

What is the most important action an organization can take to comply with the FTC position on retroactive changes to a privacy policy?

The FTC often negotiates consent decrees with companies found to be in violation of privacy principles. How does this benefit both parties involved?

Which of the following became the first state to pass a law specifically regulating the practices of data brokers?

What was the original purpose of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act?

What is the main purpose of the CAN-SPAM Act?

SCENARIO

Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION:

A US-based startup company is selling a new gaming application. One day, the CEO of the company receives an urgent letter from a prominent EU-based retail partner. Triggered by an unresolved complaint lodged by an EU resident, the letter describes an ongoing investigation by a supervisory authority into the retailer’s data handling practices.

The complainant accuses the retailer of improperly disclosing her personal data, without consent, to parties in the United States. Further, the complainant accuses the EU-based retailer of failing to respond to her

withdrawal of consent and request for erasure of her personal data. Your organization, the US-based startup company, was never informed of this request for erasure by the EU-based retail partner. The supervisory authority investigating the complaint has threatened the suspension of data flows if the parties involved do not cooperate with the investigation. The letter closes with an urgent request: “Please act immediately by identifying all personal data received from our company.”

This is an important partnership. Company executives know that its biggest fans come from Western Europe; and this retailer is primarily responsible for the startup’s rapid market penetration.

As the Company’s data privacy leader, you are sensitive to the criticality of the relationship with the retailer.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), how would the U.S.-based startup company most likely be classified?

SCENARIO

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Cheryl is the sole owner of Fitness Coach, Inc., a medium-sized company that helps individuals realize their physical fitness goals through classes, individual instruction, and access to an extensive indoor gym. She has owned the company for ten years and has always been concerned about protecting customer’s privacy while maintaining the highest level of service. She is proud that she has built long-lasting customer relationships.

Although Cheryl and her staff have tried to make privacy protection a priority, the company has no formal privacy policy. So Cheryl hired Janice, a privacy professional, to help her develop one.

After an initial assessment, Janice created a first of a new policy. Cheryl read through the draft and was concerned about the many changes the policy would bring throughout the company. For example, the draft policy stipulates that a customer’s personal information can only be held for one year after paying for a service such as a session with personal trainer. It also promises that customer information will not be shared with third parties without the written consent of the customer. The wording of these rules worry Cheryl since stored personal information often helps her company to serve her customers, even if there are long pauses between their visits. In addition, there are some third parties that provide crucial services, such as aerobics instructors who teach classes on a contract basis. Having access to customer files and understanding the fitness levels of their students helps instructors to organize their classes.

Janice understood Cheryl’s concerns and was already formulating some ideas for revision. She tried to put Cheryl at ease by pointing out that customer data can still be kept, but that it should be classified according to levels of sensitivity. However, Cheryl was skeptical. It seemed that classifying data and treating each type differently would cause undue difficulties in the company’s day-to-day operations. Cheryl wants one simple data storage and access system that any employee can access if needed.

Even though the privacy policy was only a draft, she was beginning to see that changes within her company were going to be necessary. She told Janice that she would be more comfortable with implementing the new policy gradually over a period of several months, one department at a time. She was also interested in a layered approach by creating documents listing applicable parts of the new policy for each department.

What is the main problem with Cheryl’s suggested method of communicating the new privacy policy?

SCENARIO

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When there was a data breach involving customer personal and financial information at a large retail store, the company’s directors were shocked. However, Roberta, a privacy analyst at the company and a victim of identity theft herself, was not. Prior to the breach, she had been working on a privacy program report for the executives. How the company shared and handled data across its organization was a major concern. There were neither adequate rules about access to customer information nor

procedures for purging and destroying outdated data. In her research, Roberta had discovered that even low- level employees had access to all of the company’s customer data, including financial records, and that the company still had in its possession obsolete customer data going back to the 1980s.

Her report recommended three main reforms. First, permit access on an as-needs-to-know basis. This would mean restricting employees’ access to customer information to data that was relevant to the work performed. Second, create a highly secure database for storing customers’ financial information (e.g., credit card and bank account numbers) separate from less sensitive information. Third, identify outdated customer information and then develop a process for securely disposing of it.

When the breach occurred, the company’s executives called Roberta to a meeting where she presented the recommendations in her report. She explained that the company having a national customer base meant it would have to ensure that it complied with all relevant state breach notification laws. Thanks to Roberta’s guidance, the company was able to notify customers quickly and within the specific timeframes set by state breach notification laws.

Soon after, the executives approved the changes to the privacy program that Roberta recommended in her report. The privacy program is far more effective now because of these changes and, also, because privacy and security are now considered the responsibility of every employee.

Based on the problems with the company’s privacy security that Roberta identifies, what is the most likely cause of the breach?

SCENARIO

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Declan has just started a job as a nursing assistant in a radiology department at Woodland Hospital. He has also started a program to become a registered nurse.

Before taking this career path, Declan was vaguely familiar with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). He now knows that he must help ensure the security of his patients’ Protected Health Information (PHI). Therefore, he is thinking carefully about privacy issues.

On the morning of his first day, Declan noticed that the newly hired receptionist handed each patient a HIPAA privacy notice. He wondered if it was necessary to give these privacy notices to returning patients, and if the radiology department could reduce paper waste through a system of one-time distribution.

He was also curious about the hospital’s use of a billing company. He Questioned whether the hospital was doing all it could to protect the privacy of its patients if the billing company had details about patients’ care.

On his first day Declan became familiar with all areas of the hospital’s large radiology department. As he was organizing equipment left in the halfway, he overheard a conversation between two hospital administrators. He was surprised to hear that a portable hard drive containing non-encrypted patient information was missing. The administrators expressed relief that the hospital would be able to avoid liability. Declan was surprised, and wondered whether the hospital had plans to properly report what had happened.

Despite Declan’s concern about this issue, he was amazed by the hospital’s effort to integrate Electronic Health Records (EHRs) into the everyday care of patients. He thought about the potential for streamlining care even more if they were accessible to all medical facilities nationwide.

Declan had many positive interactions with patients. At the end of his first day, he spoke to one patient, John, whose father had just been diagnosed with a degenerative muscular disease. John was about to get blood work done, and he feared that the blood work could reveal a genetic predisposition to the disease that could affect his ability to obtain insurance coverage. Declan told John that he did not think that was possible, but the patient was wheeled away before he could explain why. John plans to ask a colleague about this.

In one month, Declan has a paper due for one his classes on a health topic of his choice. By then, he will have had many interactions with patients he can use as examples. He will be pleased to give credit to John by name for inspiring him to think more carefully about genetic testing.

Although Declan’s day ended with many Questions, he was pleased about his new position.

Based on the scenario, what is the most likely way Declan’s supervisor would answer his question about the hospital’s use of a billing company?

Which of the following best describes the ASIA-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) principles?

Although an employer may have a strong incentive or legal obligation to monitor employees’ conduct or behavior, some excessive monitoring may be considered an intrusion on employees’ privacy? Which of the following is the strongest example of excessive monitoring by the employer?