Certified Data Protection & Privacy Specialist
A specialist qualification covering data-protection and privacy principles, lawful processing, data-subject rights, cross-border transfers, breach response and organisational accountability across global privacy frameworks.
What This Certification Covers
The Certified Data Protection & Privacy Specialist certification equips professionals with the specialised knowledge and skills needed to understand and apply personal data protection requirements, build effective organisational privacy programmes, and manage data risks and compliance with local and international legislation within financial institutions, corporations, fintech companies and government bodies.
The certification develops participants' ability to determine the lawful basis for processing, conduct privacy impact assessments, manage data subject rights, respond to data breaches, and govern cross-border data transfers. It emphasises practical application and case studies, embedding privacy into the design of systems and products, integration with cybersecurity and compliance functions, and keeping pace with emerging challenges in artificial intelligence and big data.
Like every ACS credential, the CDPPS is awarded only after a formal assessment of defined qualification outcomes — evaluating understanding, application and professional judgement, not attendance alone.
What You Will Be Able to Do
- Understand local and international principles and legislation on personal data protection and privacy
- Build an organisational data protection programme covering governance, policies, roles and responsibilities
- Conduct data protection impact assessments and manage processing risks
- Manage data subject rights, consent and transparency requirements
- Respond to and notify data breaches in line with regulatory requirements
- Apply privacy by design and data governance in artificial intelligence and modern technology environments
The CDPPS Programme in 8 Modules
01Data Protection and Privacy Concepts5 topics
- The concept and types of personal data and sensitive data
- Data protection principles: lawfulness, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy and storage limitation
- Roles of the data controller, processor and data subject
- The relationship between privacy, information security and compliance
- The cost of data protection failures and their reputational impact
02International and Local Legislation and Regulatory Frameworks6 topics
- The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- National and regional personal data protection legislation
- Banking secrecy and customer data protection requirements in the financial sector
- International privacy standards (ISO/IEC 27701)
- Powers of data protection authorities and penalties for violations
- Enforcement trends and lessons learned from international cases
03Building the Organisational Data Protection Programme6 topics
- Privacy governance and the role of the Data Protection Officer (DPO)
- Developing data protection policies and procedures
- Records of processing activities and data mapping
- Determining the lawful basis for processing and managing consent
- Data retention and disposal management
- Training, awareness and building a privacy culture
04Data Subject Rights and Transparency5 topics
- Rights of access, rectification, erasure and objection
- The right to data portability and restriction of processing
- Privacy notices and transparency requirements
- Procedures for receiving and handling data subject requests
- Automated decision-making and profiling and related safeguards
05Risk Assessment and Privacy by Design5 topics
- Data protection impact assessments (DPIAs) and when they are mandatory
- Privacy by Design and by Default
- Privacy-enhancing technologies: anonymisation, pseudonymisation and encryption
- Managing the risks of third parties and data processors
- Data processing agreements and vendor assessments
06Cross-Border Data Transfers and Cloud Computing5 topics
- Requirements for transferring personal data across borders
- Adequacy decisions and Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
- Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs)
- Data localisation and data sovereignty requirements
- Cloud computing risks and data protection controls in the cloud
07Data Security and Breach Management6 topics
- Technical and organisational measures for data protection
- Identity and access management and data loss prevention (DLP)
- Data breach response plan
- Assessing incidents and notifying authorities and data subjects within required timeframes
- Investigating, documenting and learning from incidents
- Integration of privacy, cybersecurity and compliance functions
08Emerging Challenges and Modern Technologies6 topics
- Data protection in artificial intelligence and machine learning systems
- Big data, analytics and the limits of legitimate use
- Biometric data and digital identity verification
- Privacy in open banking and data sharing
- Auditing privacy programmes and measuring their effectiveness
- The future of data protection and digital governance
Built for These Roles
- Data Protection Officers (DPOs) and privacy officers
- Compliance and legal affairs officers
- Information security and cybersecurity specialists
- IT and data governance managers
- Risk, audit and internal control managers
- Professionals in banks, fintech companies and insurance companies
- Product, marketing and human resources managers handling personal data
- Staff of government and regulatory bodies responsible for data protection
- Consultants and experts in privacy and digital governance
How the CDPPS Is Assessed
- 01
The exam is administered through an accredited testing centre
- 02
The computer-based exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions
- 03
Passing score: 70%
- 04
Exam duration: 3 hours
Unless otherwise stated, candidates must achieve a minimum assessment score of 70%. Full entry requirements and the certification process are listed on the Certifications.
Start the CDPPS Certification
Registration opens on a rolling basis through ACS or an authorised ACS centre. Reach out and our team will walk you through eligibility, registration and assessment windows.
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