Certified Information Privacy Professional CIPP-C Real Questions

1. SCENARIO

Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION

Noah is trying to get a new job involving the management of money. He has a poor personal credit rating, but he has made better financial decisions in the past two years.

One potential employer, Arnie’s Emporium, recently called to tell Noah he did not get a position. As part of the application process, Noah signed a consent form allowing the employer to request his credit report from a consumer reporting agency (CRA). Noah thinks that the report hurt his chances, but believes that he may not ever know whether it was his credit that cost him the job. However, Noah is somewhat relieved that he was not offered this particular position. He noticed that the store where he interviewed was extremely disorganized. He imagines that his credit report could still be sitting in the office, unsecured.

Two days ago, Noah got another interview for a position at Sam’s Market. The interviewer told Noah that his credit report would be a factor in the hiring decision. Noah was surprised because he had not seen anything on paper about this when he applied.

Regardless, the effect of Noah’s credit on his employability troubles him, especially since he has tried so hard to improve it. Noah made his worst financial decisions fifteen years ago, and they led to bankruptcy. These were decisions he made as a young man, and most of his debt at the time consisted of student loans, credit card debt, and a few unpaid bills C all of which Noah is still working to pay off. He often laments that decisions he made fifteen years ago are still affecting him today.

In addition, Noah feels that an experience investing with a large bank may have contributed to his financial troubles. In 2007, in an effort to earn money to help pay off his debt, Noah talked to a customer service representative at a large investment company who urged him to purchase stocks. Without understanding the risks, Noah agreed. Unfortunately, Noah lost a great deal of money.

After losing the money, Noah was a customer of another financial institution that suffered a large security breach. Noah was one of millions of customers whose personal information was compromised. He wonders if he may have been a victim of identity theft and whether this may have negatively affected his credit.

Noah hopes that he will soon be able to put these challenges behind him, build excellent credit, and find the perfect job.

Consumers today are most likely protected from situations like the one Noah had buying stock because of which federal action or legislation?

2. SCENARIO

Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION:

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 best reason for Cheryl to follow Janice’s suggestion about classifying customer data?

3. All of the following common law torts are relevant to employee privacy under US law EXCEPT?

4. What important action should a health care provider take if the she wants to qualify for funds under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH)?

5. All of the following are tasks in the “Discover” phase of building an information management program EXCEPT?

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

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

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

9. Which of the following best describes what a “private right of action” is?

10. SCENARIO

Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION:

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.

What is the most likely way that Declan might directly violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)?

11. SCENARIO

Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION:

Larry has become increasingly dissatisfied with his telemarketing position at SunriseLynx, and particularly with his supervisor, Evan. Just last week, he overheard Evan mocking the state’s Do Not Call list, as well as the people on it. “If they were really serious about not being bothered,” Evan said, “They’d be on the national DNC list. That’s the only one we’re required to follow. At SunriseLynx, we call until they ask us not to.”

Bizarrely, Evan requires telemarketers to keep records of recipients who ask them to call “another time.” This, to Larry, is a clear indication that they don’t want to be called at all. Evan doesn’t see it that way.

Larry believes that Evan’s arrogance also affects the way he treats employees. The U.S. Constitution protects

American workers, and Larry believes that the rights of those at SunriseLynx are violated regularly. At first Evan seemed friendly, even connecting with employees on social media. However, following Evan’s political posts, it became clear to Larry that employees with similar affiliations were the only ones offered promotions.

Further, Larry occasionally has packages containing personal-use items mailed to work. Several times, these have come to him already opened, even though this name was clearly marked. Larry thinks the opening of personal mail is common at SunriseLynx, and that Fourth Amendment rights are being trampled under Evan’s leadership.

Larry has also been dismayed to overhear discussions about his coworker, Sadie. Telemarketing calls are regularly recorded for quality assurance, and although Sadie is always professional during business, her personal conversations sometimes contain sexual comments. This too is something Larry has heard Evan laughing about. When he mentioned this to a coworker, his concern was met with a shrug. It was the coworker’s belief that employees agreed to be monitored when they signed on. Although personal devices are left alone, phone calls, emails and browsing histories are all subject to surveillance. In fact, Larry knows of one case in which an employee was fired after an undercover investigation by an outside firm turned up evidence of misconduct. Although the employee may have stolen from the company, Evan could have simply contacted the authorities when he first suspected something amiss.

Larry wants to take action, but is uncertain how to proceed.

Based on the way he uses social media, Evan is susceptible to a lawsuit based on?

12. SCENARIO

Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION

Otto is preparing a report to his Board of Directors at Filtration Station, where he is responsible for the privacy program. Filtration Station is a U.S. company that sells filters and tubing products to pharmaceutical companies for research use. The company is based in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout the U.S. and Asia. It sells to business customers across both the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region. Filtration Station participates in the Cross-Border Privacy Rules system of the APEC Privacy Framework.

Unfortunately, Filtration Station suffered a data breach in the previous quarter. An unknown third party was able to gain access to Filtration Station’s network and was able to steal data relating to employees in the company’s Human Resources database, which is hosted by a third-party cloud provider based in the U.S. The HR data is encrypted. Filtration Station also uses the third-party cloud provider to host its business marketing contact database. The marketing database was not affected by the data breach. It appears that the data breach was caused when a system administrator at the cloud provider stored the encryption keys with the data itself.

The Board has asked Otto to provide information about the data breach and how updates on new developments in privacy laws and regulations apply to Filtration Station. They are particularly concerned about staying up to date on the various U.S. state laws and regulations that have been in the news, especially the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and breach notification requirements.

What can Otto do to most effectively minimize the privacy risks involved in using a cloud provider for the HR data?

13. What does the Massachusetts Personal Information Security Regulation require as it relates to encryption of personal information?

14. Within what time period must a commercial message sender remove a recipient’s address once they have asked to stop receiving future e-mail?

15. The Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988 restricted which of the following?

16. Which of the following best describes an employer’s privacy-related responsibilities to an employee who has left the workplace?

17. SCENARIO

Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION

Otto is preparing a report to his Board of Directors at Filtration Station, where he is responsible for the privacy program. Filtration Station is a U.S. company that sells filters and tubing products to pharmaceutical companies for research use. The company is based in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout the U.S. and Asia. It sells to business customers across both the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region. Filtration Station participates in the Cross-Border Privacy Rules system of the APEC Privacy Framework.

Unfortunately, Filtration Station suffered a data breach in the previous quarter. An unknown third party was able to gain access to Filtration Station’s network and was able to steal data relating to employees in the company’s Human Resources database, which is hosted by a third-party cloud provider based in the U.S. The HR data is encrypted. Filtration Station also uses the third-party cloud provider to host its business marketing contact database. The marketing database was not affected by the data breach. It appears that the data breach was caused when a system administrator at the cloud provider stored the encryption keys with the data itself.

The Board has asked Otto to provide information about the data breach and how updates on new developments in privacy laws and regulations apply to Filtration Station. They are particularly concerned about staying up to date on the various U.S. state laws and regulations that have been in the news, especially the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and breach notification requirements.

The Board has asked Otto whether the company will need to comply with the new California Consumer Privacy Law (CCPA) .

What should Otto tell the Board?

18. What is the main reason some supporters of the European approach to privacy are skeptical about self- regulation of privacy practices?

19. The “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights” presented in a 2012 Obama administration report is generally based on?

20. 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.

Upon review, the data privacy leader discovers that the Company’s documented data inventory is obsolete .

What is the data privacy leader’s next best source of information to aid the investigation?

21. In March 2012, the FTC released a privacy report that outlined three core principles for companies handling consumer data .

Which was NOT one of these principles?

22. What information did the Red Flag Program Clarification Act of 2010 add to the original Red Flags rule?

23. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), what must a person who is denied employment based upon his credit history receive?

24. Which venture would be subject to the requirements of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act?

25. John, a California resident, receives notification that a major corporation with $500 million in annual revenue has experienced a data breach. John’s personal information in their possession has been stolen, including his full name and social security numb. John also learns that the corporation did not have reasonable cybersecurity measures in place to safeguard his personal information.

Which of the following answers most accurately reflects John’s ability to pursue a legal claim against the corporation under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)?

26. Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), what is the most appropriate action for a car dealer holding a paper folder of customer credit reports?

27. The rules for “e-discovery” mainly prevent which of the following?

28. What consumer service was the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) originally intended to provide?

29. SCENARIO

Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION:

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.

Based on the scenario, which of the following would have helped Janice to better meet the company’s needs?

30. What is the main challenge financial institutions face when managing user preferences?

31. How did the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)?

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

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

34. Which of these organizations would be required to provide its customers with an annual privacy notice?

35. SCENARIO

Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION:

You are the chief privacy officer at HealthCo, a major hospital in a large U.S. city in state A. HealthCo is a HIPAA-covered entity that provides healthcare services to more than 100,000 patients. A third-party cloud computing service provider, CloudHealth, stores and manages the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of these individuals on behalf of HealthCo. CloudHealth stores the data in state B. As part of HealthCo’s business associate agreement (BAA) with CloudHealth, HealthCo requires CloudHealth to implement security measures, including industry standard encryption practices, to adequately protect the data. However, HealthCo did not perform due diligence on CloudHealth before entering the contract, and has not conducted audits of CloudHealth’s security measures.

A CloudHealth employee has recently become the victim of a phishing attack. When the employee unintentionally clicked on a link from a suspicious email, the PHI of more than 10,000 HealthCo patients was compromised. It has since been published online. The HealthCo cybersecurity team quickly identifies the perpetrator as a known hacker who has launched similar attacks on other hospitals C ones that exposed the PHI of public figures including celebrities and politicians.

During the course of its investigation, HealthCo discovers that CloudHealth has not encrypted the PHI in accordance with the terms of its contract. In addition, CloudHealth has not provided privacy or security training to its employees. Law enforcement has requested that HealthCo provide its investigative report of the breach and a copy of the PHI of the individuals affected.

A patient affected by the breach then sues HealthCo, claiming that the company did not adequately protect the individual’s ePHI, and that he has suffered substantial harm as a result of the exposed data. The patient’s attorney has submitted a discovery request for the ePHI exposed in the breach.

Which of the following would be HealthCo’s best response to the attorney’s discovery request?

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

37. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requires schools to do all of the following EXCEPT?

38. Which of the following types of information would an organization generally NOT be required to disclose to law enforcement?

39. SCENARIO

Please use the following to answer the next QUESTION

Matt went into his son’s bedroom one evening and found him stretched out on his bed typing on his laptop. “Doing your homework?” Matt asked hopefully.

“No,” the boy said. “I’m filling out a survey.”

Matt looked over his son’s shoulder at his computer screen. “What kind of survey?” “It’s asking QUESTION NO:s about my opinions.”

“Let me see,” Matt said, and began reading the list of QUESTION NO:s that his son had already answered. “It’s asking your opinions about the government and citizenship. That’s a little odd. You’re only ten.”

Matt wondered how the web link to the survey had ended up in his son’s email inbox. Thinking the message might have been sent to his son by mistake he opened it and read it. It had come from an entity called the Leadership Project, and the content and the graphics indicated that it was intended for children. As Matt read further he learned that kids who took the survey were automatically registered in a contest to win the first book in a series about famous leaders.

To Matt, this clearly seemed like a marketing ploy to solicit goods and services to children. He asked his son if he had been prompted to give information about himself in order to take the survey. His son told him he had been asked to give his name, address, telephone number, and date of birth, and to answer QUESTION NO:s about his favorite games and toys.

Matt was concerned. He doubted if it was legal for the marketer to collect information from his son in the way that it was. Then he noticed several other commercial emails from marketers advertising products for children in his son’s inbox, and he decided it was time to report the incident to the proper authorities.

Depending on where Matt lives, the marketer could be prosecuted for violating which of the following?

40. Which jurisdiction must courts have in order to hear a particular case?

41. What is an exception to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 ban on interception of wire, oral and electronic communications?

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

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

44. What role does the U.S. Constitution play in the area of workplace privacy?

45. Who has rulemaking authority for the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA)?