ropa-dpia-linkage

RoPA-DPIA Linkage

Overview

GDPR Article 35 requires a Data Protection Impact Assessment for processing likely to result in a high risk to data subjects' rights and freedoms. Article 30 requires records of all processing activities. These two obligations are interdependent: every DPIA should map to one or more RoPA entries, and every RoPA entry flagged as high-risk should reference a DPIA. This skill establishes the cross-reference system, dependency tracking mechanisms, and update cascade triggers that ensure consistency between RoPA, the DPIA register, and lawful basis assessments.

Cross-Reference Architecture

Three-Way Linkage Model

┌──────────────────────┐       ┌──────────────────────┐
│     RoPA Register    │◄─────►│    DPIA Register      │
│                      │       │                       │
│  RPA-001: Payroll    │       │  DPIA-2024-PAY-001   │
│  RPA-002: Clinical   │◄─────►│  DPIA-2024-ONC-04   │
│  RPA-003: Analytics  │       │  (No DPIA required)  │
│  ...                 │       │  ...                  │
└──────────┬───────────┘       └───────────┬───────────┘
           │                               │
           │       ┌───────────────────┐   │
           └──────►│  Lawful Basis     │◄──┘
                   │  Register         │
                   │                   │
                   │  LIA-2025-GA4-001│
                   │  CON-2024-CT-04  │
                   │  ...             │
                   └───────────────────┘

Reference Identifier Schema

Adopt a consistent identifier format across all three registers:

Register	ID Format	Example
RoPA	RPA-[NNN]	RPA-002
DPIA	DPIA-[YYYY]-[CODE]-[NNN]	DPIA-2024-ONC-04
Legitimate Interest Assessment	LIA-[YYYY]-[CODE]-[NNN]	LIA-2025-GA4-001
Consent Record	CON-[YYYY]-[CODE]-[NNN]	CON-2024-CT-04
Legal Obligation Assessment	LOA-[YYYY]-[CODE]-[NNN]	LOA-2024-TAX-001

RoPA-to-DPIA Mapping for Helix Biotech Solutions

RoPA Entry	Processing Activity	DPIA Required	DPIA Reference	DPIA Status	Reason
RPA-001	Employee payroll	No	—	—	Standard employment processing, no high-risk indicators
RPA-002	Clinical trial data management	Yes	DPIA-2024-ONC-04	Approved (2024-02-28)	Large-scale processing of health and genetic data (Art. 35(3)(b))
RPA-003	Website analytics	No	—	—	IP truncation and aggregation reduce risk below DPIA threshold
RPA-004	Employee performance profiling	Yes	DPIA-2025-PERF-001	Under review	Systematic evaluation of employees based on work performance (Art. 35(3)(a))
RPA-005	CCTV surveillance	Yes	DPIA-2024-CCTV-001	Approved (2024-06-15)	Systematic monitoring of publicly accessible area (Art. 35(3)(c))
RPA-006	Genomic data analysis	Yes	DPIA-2025-GEN-002	Draft	Large-scale processing of genetic data with automated profiling
RPA-007	Customer CRM	No	—	—	Standard B2B customer management, no profiling
RPA-008	Pharmacovigilance reporting	Yes	DPIA-2024-PV-001	Approved (2024-04-10)	Systematic processing of health data for adverse event monitoring

DPIA-to-RoPA Back-Reference

Each DPIA must reference the RoPA entry (or entries) it covers:

DPIA Reference	DPIA Title	RoPA Entries Covered	Status
DPIA-2024-ONC-04	Phase III Oncology Trial HBX-2025-ONC-04	RPA-002	Approved
DPIA-2025-PERF-001	Employee Performance Analytics System	RPA-004	Under review
DPIA-2024-CCTV-001	Office CCTV Surveillance System	RPA-005	Approved
DPIA-2025-GEN-002	Personalised Medicine Genomic Analysis	RPA-006, RPA-009	Draft
DPIA-2024-PV-001	Pharmacovigilance Adverse Event Processing	RPA-008	Approved

Dependency Tracking

RoPA Changes That Trigger DPIA Review

When any of the following RoPA fields change, assess whether the existing DPIA remains valid or requires an update under Art. 35(11):

RoPA Field Changed	DPIA Impact	Action Required
Purpose expanded or new purpose added	May increase risk profile	Re-assess DPIA necessity; update DPIA if risk changes
New category of data subjects (especially vulnerable groups)	Increases risk	Update DPIA risk assessment
New special category data processed	Increases risk substantially	Update or conduct new DPIA
New recipient or processor added	May change risk profile	Review DPIA data sharing risks section
New international transfer	Increases risk (Schrems II considerations)	Update DPIA transfer risk section
Retention period extended	May increase risk	Review DPIA proportionality assessment
Security measures reduced or changed	Directly affects risk mitigation	Update DPIA risk mitigation measures
Processing volume significantly increased	Scale change may trigger new DPIA threshold	Re-assess Art. 35(3)(b) large-scale criterion

DPIA Outcomes That Trigger RoPA Updates

DPIA Event	RoPA Impact	Action Required
New DPIA approved	RoPA entry must reference DPIA	Add DPIA reference to RoPA entry
DPIA identifies new risk mitigation measures	Security measures field may need update	Update Art. 30(1)(g) to reflect new measures
DPIA recommends purpose limitation	Purpose field may need narrowing	Update Art. 30(1)(b) to reflect restricted purpose
DPIA recommends reduced retention	Retention field must be updated	Update Art. 30(1)(f) with new retention period
DPIA recommends additional safeguards for transfers	Transfer field must be updated	Update Art. 30(1)(e) with new safeguards
DPIA prior consultation outcome (Art. 36)	May restrict or condition processing	Update all affected RoPA fields per SA conditions
DPIA rejected (processing deemed too risky)	Processing activity must not proceed	RoPA entry should not be created, or existing entry archived

Lawful Basis Changes That Affect Both RoPA and DPIA

Lawful Basis Event	RoPA Impact	DPIA Impact
Consent withdrawn (Art. 7(3))	Processing must cease; RoPA entry archived or updated	DPIA risk assessment may change if consent was a mitigating factor
Legitimate interest challenged	LIA must be re-conducted; RoPA purpose may change	DPIA balancing test must be updated
New legal obligation identified	RoPA lawful basis field updated	DPIA may be less relevant if processing is legally mandated
Lawful basis changed (e.g., consent to legitimate interest)	RoPA purpose and lawful basis fields updated	DPIA risk profile may change; Art. 9 condition may be affected

Update Cascade Triggers

Cascade Logic

When a change occurs in any of the three registers, propagate checks to the linked registers:

RoPA Change Detected
    │
    ├── Is this entry linked to a DPIA?
    │   ├── Yes → Flag DPIA for review (Art. 35(11))
    │   └── No → Does the change make the processing high-risk?
    │       ├── Yes → Trigger DPIA necessity assessment
    │       └── No → No DPIA action required
    │
    └── Does this change affect the lawful basis?
        ├── Yes → Flag lawful basis assessment for review
        └── No → No lawful basis action required

DPIA Change Detected
    │
    ├── Does the DPIA outcome change risk mitigation measures?
    │   └── Yes → Update RoPA security measures field
    │
    ├── Does the DPIA outcome change processing scope?
    │   └── Yes → Update RoPA purpose, data categories, or recipients
    │
    └── Does the DPIA outcome affect lawful basis assessment?
        └── Yes → Flag lawful basis for review

Lawful Basis Change Detected
    │
    ├── Update RoPA lawful basis field
    └── Review DPIA assumptions about lawful basis

Implementation for Helix Biotech Solutions

Cross-Reference Fields in RoPA

Each RoPA entry should include the following linkage fields:

{
    "record_id": "RPA-002",
    "processing_activity": "Clinical trial participant data management",
    "dpia_required": true,
    "dpia_reference": "DPIA-2024-ONC-04",
    "dpia_status": "Approved",
    "dpia_approval_date": "2024-02-28",
    "dpia_next_review_date": "2025-02-28",
    "lawful_basis_reference": "CON-2024-CT-04",
    "lawful_basis_type": "Art. 6(1)(a) consent + Art. 9(2)(a) explicit consent",
    "lawful_basis_assessment_date": "2024-01-15",
    "art9_condition": "Art. 9(2)(a) — explicit consent per ICH E6(R2) informed consent process",
    "linked_lia": null,
    "prior_consultation_required": false,
    "prior_consultation_reference": null
}

DPIA Necessity Assessment Criteria

Use this checklist to determine whether a RoPA entry requires a DPIA:

Criterion	Art. 35 Reference	Applicable	Notes
Systematic and extensive profiling with significant effects	Art. 35(3)(a)	[ ]	E.g., employee performance scoring, credit scoring
Large-scale processing of special category or criminal data	Art. 35(3)(b)	[ ]	E.g., clinical trials, genetic analysis, health data
Systematic monitoring of publicly accessible area	Art. 35(3)(c)	[ ]	E.g., CCTV, public Wi-Fi tracking
On supervisory authority blacklist	Art. 35(4)	[ ]	Check CNIL/BfDI/ICO published blacklists
Evaluation or scoring	WP29 Guidelines	[ ]	Including profiling and predicting
Automated decision-making with legal/significant effects	WP29 Guidelines	[ ]	Art. 22 processing
Systematic monitoring	WP29 Guidelines	[ ]	Employee monitoring, network monitoring
Sensitive data or data of highly personal nature	WP29 Guidelines	[ ]	Location data, financial data, communications metadata
Large scale	WP29 Guidelines	[ ]	Number of data subjects, volume, geographic scope
Matching or combining datasets	WP29 Guidelines	[ ]	From different sources/controllers for different purposes
Vulnerable data subjects	WP29 Guidelines	[ ]	Children, employees, patients, elderly
Innovative use or applying new technology	WP29 Guidelines	[ ]	AI/ML, IoT, biometrics, blockchain
Transfer outside EEA	WP29 Guidelines	[ ]	Especially to countries without adequacy
Processing preventing data subjects from exercising a right	WP29 Guidelines	[ ]	Blocking access to a service or contract

Rule of thumb (EDPB/WP29): If two or more of these criteria apply, a DPIA is likely required.

Monitoring and Reporting

Monthly Linkage Integrity Check

1. For every DPIA in the register, verify the linked RoPA entry exists and is active.
2. For every RoPA entry marked "DPIA required = Yes," verify a DPIA reference exists and the DPIA status is not "Expired" or "Rejected."
3. For every RoPA entry with a lawful basis reference, verify the assessment is current (reviewed within 24 months or upon change).
4. Flag any orphaned DPIAs (no linked RoPA entry) or orphaned RoPA entries (marked high-risk with no DPIA).

Quarterly Cascade Review

1. Review all RoPA changes in the past quarter.
2. For each change, verify whether the cascade check was executed and documented.
3. Identify any changes that should have triggered a DPIA review but did not.
4. Report findings to the DPO.