SCENARIO -Please use the following to answer the next question: Edufox has hosted an annual convention of users of its famous e-learning software platform, and over time, it has become a grand event. It fills one of the large downtown conference hotels and overflows into the others, with several thousand attendees enjoying three days of presentations, panel discussions and networking. The convention is the centerpiece of the company's product rollout schedule and a great training opportunity for current users. The sales force also encourages prospective clients to attend to get a better sense of the ways in which the system can be customized to meet diverse needs and understand that when they buy into this system, they are joining a community that feels like family. This year's conference is only three weeks away, and you have just heard news of a new initiative supporting it: a smartphone app for attendees. The app will support late registration, highlight the featured presentations and provide a mobile version of the conference program. It also links to a restaurant reservation system with the best cuisine in the areas featured. "It's going to be great," the developer, Deidre Hoffman, tells you, "if, that is, we actually get it working!" She laughs nervously but explains that because of the tight time frame she'd been given to build the app, she outsourced the job to a local firm. "It's just three young people," she says, "but they do great work." She describes some of the other apps they have built.
When asked how they were selected for this job, Deidre shrugs. "They do good work, so I chose them." Deidre is a terrific employee with a strong track record. That's why she's been charged to deliver this rushed project. You're sure she has the best interests of the company at heart, and you don't doubt that she's under pressure to meet a deadline that cannot be pushed back. However, you have concerns about the app's handling of personal data and its security safeguards. Over lunch in the break room, you start to talk to her about it, but she quickly tries to reassure you, "I'm sure with your help we can fix any security issues if we have to, but I doubt there'll be any. These people build apps for a living, and they know what they're doing. You worry too much, but that's why you're so good at your job!" Since it is too late to restructure the contract with the vendor or prevent the app from being deployed, what is the best step for you to take next?
- Implement a more comprehensive suite of information security controls than the one used by the vendor.
- Ask the vendor for verifiable information about their privacy protections so weaknesses can be identified.
- Develop security protocols for the vendor and mandate that they be deployed.
- Insist on an audit of the vendor's privacy procedures and safeguards.
Answer(s): B
Explanation:
Why option B is the best choice
-The immediate priority is to obtain concrete evidence of the vendor’s privacy and security posture before the app goes live. A verifiable statement (e.g., privacy-impact assessment, certification, documented controls) lets the privacy manager evaluate whether the app meets the organization’s data-protection requirements. -This approach does not add unnecessary workload (as in A), impose unenforceable mandates (as in C), or rely on an external audit that may be costly and time-consuming without first confirming that the vendor is willing to share information (as in D). -Option B aligns with the Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) principle of “risk-based management”: identify the risk, gather the necessary information, and then decide on appropriate controls.
Why the other options are less suitable
-A – Implement a more comprehensive suite of controls than the vendor uses – Adding controls unilaterally can create compatibility problems, duplicate effort, and give a false sense of security when the vendor’s actual safeguards are unknown. -C – Develop security protocols for the vendor and mandate their deployment – The vendor’s contractual obligations are already fixed; forcing new protocols after the fact may breach the contract and does not address the current lack of verifiable information. -D – Insist on an audit of the vendor’s privacy procedures and safeguards – An audit is a later-stage remediation tool. Before an audit can be performed, the manager must first know what the vendor’s practices actually are; otherwise the audit may be ineffective or based on incomplete data.
Therefore, the most appropriate next step is to request verifiable privacy-protection information from the vendor so that any gaps can be identified and remediated promptly.
Reference:
International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) – Privacy-by-Design Checklist: https://iapp.org/resources/article/privacy-by-design-checklist/ National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – Cybersecurity Framework: Identify, Protect, Detect,
Respond, Recover: https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework/identify-assessment (provides a risk-based approach for evaluating vendor safeguards)
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