The Centre for Information Policy Leadership at Hunton & Williams LLP Releases Accountability Self-Assessment Tool to Help Organizations Evaluate Their Privacy Programs

WASHINGTON – December 12, 2012 – The Centre for Information Policy Leadership at Hunton & Williams LLP (the "Centre") released today an accountability self-assessment tool designed to help organizations evaluate their internal privacy programs and practices. The tool is the product of the Global Accountability Project for which the Centre serves as secretariat.

"In an accountability model, organizations implement and demonstrate adherence to a comprehensive data protection compliance program," says Marty Abrams, President of the Centre. "In collaboration with experts from privacy enforcement agencies, industry, civil society and academia, we’ve outlined the key elements of a sound program to help organizations take the concrete steps necessary to be accountable."

"As accountability figures more and more prominently in policy discussions, emerging guidance and legislative proposals, this tool helps organizations make accountability work in practice," says Paula Bruening, Vice President of Global Policy of the Centre. "The results of the survey may be useful in demonstrating to regulators and other interested constituencies the design of an organization's privacy program."

The Accountability Project is a global, multi-stakeholder process that convenes academic experts, privacy enforcement agencies, government representatives, industry and civil society to develop an approach to data protection that relies on the fair information practice principle of accountability. At meetings in Dublin in 2009; in Paris in 2010; Madrid in 2011; and in Brussels in 2012, the Project developed essential, commonly-accepted elements of accountability and articulated the nature of the programs and processes accountable organizations would implement. The Project will continue its work in Warsaw and Toronto in 2013.