CIPP/E exam annual update, July 1st 2021

The CIPP/E exam annual update goes into effect on July 1st this year and new Body of Knowledge and Exam Blueprint documents are now available. The IAPP updates the CIPP/E, CIPP/US, CIPT and CIPM exams regularly in order to keep pace with the changing privacy landscape. The IAPP released a short statement on the changes, so we have summarised the differences between the previous and new versions of the Body of Knowledge (BoK) and Exam Blueprint below.

On the exam blueprint, the minimum and maximum number of questions from each area of the BoK has not changed, nor has the overall number of exam questions. The exam blueprint was last updated in September 2020

CIPP/E exam annual update 2021 Body of Knowledge changes

• Part I Introduction to European Data Protection
  • Section B European Union Institutions
    • Item 6 “European Court of Justice” is now “Court of Justice of the European Union”

• Part II European Data Protection Law and Regulation
  • Section I International Data Transfers
    • Item 2 “Safe jurisdictions” is now “Adequate Jurisdictions”
    • Item 8 is a new addition – “Transfer Impact Assessments (TIAs)”
  • Section K Consequences for GDPR violations
    • Item 3 is a new addition – “Class Actions”

• Part III Compliance with European Data Protection Law and Regulation
  • Section D Internet Technology and Communications
    • Item 5 “Artificial Intelligence (AI)” now subdivided into two sections:
      1. Machine Learning
      2. Ethical Issues

Some of these just appear to be terminology changes however, others are new topics that have been added. According to the full IAPP statement, only three additions were made to the BoK:

• Machine learning.
• Ethics related to AI.
• Transfer impact assessments.

However, “Class Actions” definitely was not on the previous BoK. We sent an email to the IAPP about this and they confirmed that “Class Actions” is indeed a new topic.

Additional readings for new topics

As CIPP/E exam annual updates often do not coincide with updates to the textbooks, the new exam topics may not appear in the current textbook therefore, you will have to do some additional reading. We will work to find supplementary readings on the newly added topics in order to help you learn more about these subjects. For now, the documents below will provide some further guidance on Transfer Impact Assessments (TIAs) and Class Actions

The IAPP published a breakdown of the European Data Protection Board’s recommendations for data transfers post-”Schrems II”

Writing about two documents produced by the EDPB, they said:

“these two documents outline an assessment process for the sufficiency of foreign protections under EU law when personal data is sent abroad and a set of EU-approved safeguards that companies can implement even when foreign protections are judged lacking compared to EU legal standards”

Read the full EDPB documents here:

Recommendations 01/2020 on measures that supplement transfer tools to ensure compliance with the EU level of protection of personal data

Recommendations 02/2020 on the European Essential Guarantees for surveillance measures

Regarding class actions, we have not found many resources but you can find a collection of recent articles at the JDSupra website that will get you started.

Test your knowledge and get CIPP/E exam tips from our community

Join the conversation about the 2021 CIPP/E exam annual update, get study tips, discounts and more in our private Facebook group, CIPP/E Study Group.

Group members will have access to a generous discount on the trial exam from 22Academy. This is a great opportunity to test your knowledge and go into your certification exam feeling completely prepared and above all, ready to pass with confidence.

Members will also receive a discount on the ebook Data Protection Law in Charts by Federico Marengo. This is a clear, easy to read set of charts presenting the GDPR main legal provisions, explanations and case law. 

Join the Facebook group and read the pinned announcement post for access to the discount codes.

You can also read our Ultimate CIPP/E Study Guide which is compiled from advice from certified professionals, detailed research and experiences of our community members. This guide will outline the necessary steps you need to take in order to ensure CIPP/E exam success. Best of luck with your CIPP/E studies!