The Certified Personal Information Officer certification program is developed by the Information Officers Association specifically for those persons who are responsible for encouraging compliance with the conditions for the lawful processing of personal information, dealing with requests made regarding personal information and working with the Information Regulator.

The CPIO® certification is for all individuals who design, manage, and oversee an organisation’s use of personal information, who manage the risks related to the processing of personal information, who implement the technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, verify compliance or conduct assessments, audits and reviews of the implementation of and adherence to the conditions for the lawful processing of personal information.

While its central focus is the protection of personal information, the CPIO® examination will be of value to anyone with responsibility for the processing of personal information.

This certification promotes best practices and provides executive management with assurance that those with the designation CPIO® are knowledgeable about the requirements for lawfully processing personal information and are able to ensure that the conditions for the lawful process of personal information are being adhered to.

A CPIO® certification will provide executive management with assurance that individuals who hold the credential CPIO® are knowledgeable about the requirements for the lawful processing and protection of personal information.

Development/Description of the CPIO® Exam

A CPIO® committee oversees the development of the exam and ensures the relevance and currency of its content. Questions for the CPIO® exam are developed through a comprehensive process designed to ensure the ultimate quality of the exam. International data protection certification criteria are the basis for the content.

Job practice statements serve as the basis for the exam and are the knowledge and skill requirements to earn the CPIO® certification. These job practice statements are periodically updated and consist of five domains. The domains and the accompanying tasks and knowledge statements were the result of extensive research and feedback from subject matter experts.

The tasks and knowledge statements describe the tasks performed by CPIOs and the knowledge required to perform these tasks. Exam candidates will be tested based on their practical knowledge associated with performing these tasks.

The current job practice analysis contains the following domains and percentages:

• Legislation for the protection of personal information (10%)
• Conditions for the lawful processing of personal information (30%)
• Safeguards for the protection of personal information (30%)
• Enabling data subject rights (20%)
• Governance of personal information (10%).