At the 2nd Data Privacy and Protection Summit 2026 in Colombo — organised by CICRA and Daily FT, with over 380 senior professionals in the room — the takeaway for businesses was blunt: conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) is not a regulatory checkbox but an essential strategy to prevent data disasters. As data breaches and compliance failures continue to pose significant risks, DPIAs emerge as a proactive measure to identify and mitigate these threats before they materialise.
“Before the breach is the only moment you get to choose your risks. After it, they choose you.”
Oshada Senanayake, Director, Brandix Apparel — speaking at the summit
The summit’s discussion centred on Sri Lanka’s Personal Data Protection Act, but the warning is universal. For organisations under the EU or UK GDPR, the same obligation lives in Article 35: where processing is likely to result in a high risk to individuals, an assessment must be carried out before the processing begins. The speakers’ examples of what happens when it is skipped — enforcement against Clearview AI, Deliveroo’s rider-scoring case, the wave of Meta Pixel complaints — are all European.
For businesses, the implications are clear. DPIAs serve as a diagnostic tool, allowing organisations to thoroughly assess their data processing activities. By doing so, they can pinpoint vulnerabilities and implement necessary safeguards. This process not only supports compliance with data protection regulations but also fortifies the organisation against potential data breaches that could lead to financial and reputational damage.
The importance of DPIAs is further highlighted by the growing complexity of data ecosystems. With the increasing adoption of new technologies and data-driven strategies, businesses face a myriad of risks related to data processing. DPIAs provide a structured approach to evaluate these risks, enabling companies to make informed decisions about the deployment of new technologies and data practices.
DPIAs also foster a culture of accountability. By involving stakeholders across the organisation in the assessment, data protection becomes a shared responsibility rather than a legal team’s afterthought — and the assessment itself becomes evidence a regulator can be shown. For companies whose processing is complex or sensitive, that written record is often the difference between a question answered and an investigation opened.
To get the full value from DPIAs, build them into the way projects start: run one for each new technology or high-risk processing activity, and review existing assessments when the processing changes. A DPIA written once and filed away protects no one.
If your business is looking to strengthen its assessment process, Privacy Core Services runs privacy impact assessments (PIA / DPIA) with the documentation to show for it — and our guide to practical DPIA triggers shows where they belong in your workflow.