Which CIPP Certification is Right for Me?

The Certified Information Privacy Professional certifications offered by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) are designed to increase compliance and risk mitigation practices by focusing on the regulatory environment within a geographic area. They show that you know jurisdictional privacy laws and regulations and how to apply them, as well as essential privacy concepts and principles. And they are seen as the global industry standard for professionals who are entering or working in the privacy field. But, with four different CIPP certifications available, which one is right for you? 

What CIPP Certifications are there?  

At present, the following CIPP certifications are available:  

• CIPP/E (which is for Europe) 
• CIPP/US (which is for the US private sector) 
• CIPP/A (which is for Asia) 
• CIPP/C (which is for Canada). 

Which CIPP Certification should you choose? 

The CIPP certification that best suits you depends on your goals and your organisation’s needs. If you deal exclusively or for the most part with personal data from individuals from either Europe, the US, Asia, or Canada, it makes sense to focus on the laws in that jurisdiction. If you’re looking to get your foot in the door in the privacy profession, then the CIPP/E may make the most sense for you.  

Why seek a CIPP/E certification? 

The General Data Protection Right (GDPR) and data privacy laws of individual European countries are amongst the strictest and most developed in the world. Penalties for breaching these strict laws are known to be significant, too.  

The CIPP/E (Europe) is the IAPP’s most popular certification and is known to be the premier data protection certification for privacy professionals. Achieving a CIPP/E certification means you have demonstrated comprehensive GDPR knowledge as well as an understanding of the strict and broad compliance and data protection ecosystem in Europe.  

In essence, the CIPP/E gives privacy professionals the chance to wrap their heads around privacy obligations in their strictest form, which provides opportunities to set up privacy programs that conform to European requirements and (likely) exceed local requirements. 

As a result, the CIPP/E certification is generally sought by: 

• Data Protection Officers and 
• Privacy Managers and Officers 
• Privacy Project Managers 
• Auditors
• Legal Compliance and Risk Officers 
• Security Managers 
• Information Managers 
• Anyone involved with privacy or data protection processes and programmes. 

Popular Privacy Certifications in Australia 

We’re seeing elevated demand from Australian privacy professionals for the following courses:  

• CIPM (Certified Information Privacy Manager); 
• CIPT (Certified Information Privacy Technologist); and  
• CIPP/A (Certified Information Privacy Professional Asia).  

The CIPP/A focuses on the fundamental privacy principles, as well as the laws and practices in Singapore, Hong Kong, and India, and an overview of the common themes amongst these frameworks. This certification equips Australian privacy professionals with an understanding of privacy trends across Asia, thereby promoting the development of privacy programs that align with the needs of our closest neighbouring business partners.  

Is there a CIPP Australia certification? 

No, there is not a CIPP Australia certification.   

It’s not likely that there will be a CIPP certification developed for Australia in the future either. The certification programs available are based on demand and market for a CIPP/Australia is still relatively small.

Privacy Training by Privacy 108 

If you’re uncertain what privacy training will benefit you in your career or help to advance your organisation’s privacy program, get in touch. Privacy 108 offers training courses for privacy industry certifications, including IAPP’s CIPP/E certification, as well as tailored privacy training for organisations. So, we would love to help you determine what education and training best meets your needs.  

Our privacy courses are led by IAPP-certified instructor, Dr Jodie Siganto. Jodie has close to 20 years’ experience as an educator and is widely recognised as one of Australia’s leading privacy professionals.