What is Data Mapping or ROPA (Record of Processing Activities)?

Data mapping is the beginning of the process of knowing how personal data is processed and how it flows in your organization. It entails formulating a general plan as to how your organization designs, gathers, manages and processes all the information it collects and preserves.

This includes; what kind of personal data it collects, where the data is stored, how the data is utilized and who is allowed to access it. In other words data mapping gives an aerial view of how data is flowing within an organization, a given department or to a third party.

This becomes important especially when handling personal data that is governed by regulations such as GDPR or CCPA, as it enables you to trace unaltered data right from the source that collected it, through to the place that shall use or delete it. A clear data map helps a business to minimize risks regarding the loss of data or the mishandling of sensitive information if breached.

The concept of ROPA, which stands for Records of Processing Activities, is rooted in data mapping, and it takes things one step further to establish precise documentation of how your organization processes data. This is particularly so, under regulations such as GDPR or CCPA, whereby a ROPA is a requirement, especially for those processing large volumes of data or dealing in sensitive categories of data.

A ROPA document is a detailed document that contains some key aspects of your data processing activities including the types of personal data you process, the processing purpose, lawful ground that permit you to process data, the third parties to wish the data is disclosed (if necessary) and the period for which different types of data is retained.

Besides, it outlines measures that have been put in place to secure this information. This level of detail does not only aid in showing compliance in case of regulatory compliance audits, but also not only help to hold yourself accountable for the data processing but also provide valuable evidence in the event of an audit.