Skip to content

Data Protection by Design

What is Data Protection by Design?

The principle of integrating data protection measures into the design and development of business processes and IT systems from the outset. Required under GDPR Article 25 and considered best practice across all privacy regulations.

Privacy

Each of these is named in at least one of the same controls as data protection by design. The number is how many controls name both.

What the standards actually require on data protection by design

Requirements naming data protection by design across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

Data Protection by Design and by Default (GDPR Article 25) requires that, at the time of determining the means for processing and at the time of the processing itself, the controller implements appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to impl...

ENISA-DPE-1.1 · Data Protection by Design

Design security into systems, products and business practices from the outset rather than adding it afterwards, following recognised practice.

CCM-DSP-07 · Data Protection by Design and Default

Requires the controlling authority to implement data protection by design and by default and to meet general obligations for law-enforcement processing.

CZ-110-§32 · Zamerna a standardni ochrana osobnich udaju (data protection by design and default)

Requires providers of information society services likely to be accessed by children to consider how to protect children when designing data processing, reinforcing higher protection for children's data.

DUAA-P5-CHILDREN · Children's data protection by design (ISS)

Art.49 data protection by design and by default; Art.50 duty to destroy personal data at end of retention; Art.51 joint data controllers' joint and several responsibilities and transparency to data subjects.

ETH-PDPP-Art.49-51 · Data protection by design and by default; duty to destroy; joint controllers
GDPR1 control

Both at the time the means of processing are determined and at the time of the processing itself, implement appropriate technical and organisational measures such as pseudonymisation which are designed to implement the data protection principles, in particular...

GDPR-Art.25 · Data protection by design and by default

Questions people ask about data protection by design

What is Data Protection by Design?
The principle of integrating data protection measures into the design and development of business processes and IT systems from the outset. Required under GDPR Article 25 and considered best practice across all privacy regulations.
Why is Data Protection by Design important for compliance?
Data Protection by Design is a key concept in Privacy. Understanding data protection by design helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Data Protection by Design?
Data Protection by Design appears in the requirement text of ENISA Data Protection Engineering - From Theory to Practice, Cloud Security Alliance Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) v4.0.1, Czech Republic Act on the Protection of Personal Data (Act No. 110/2019 Coll.), Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, Ethiopia Personal Data Protection Proclamation (No. 1321/2024). Across these standards we have identified 7 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Data Protection by Design?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how data protection by design applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 686 frameworks.

See how Data Protection by Design applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.