DPIA and FRIA (impact assessments)
A DPIA assesses risks of high-risk personal data processing under GDPR; a FRIA assesses a high-risk AI system’s impact on fundamental rights under the AI Act.
GDPR Article 35 requires a DPIA before processing likely to result in high risk, such as large-scale monitoring, sensitive data or new technology like AI profiling; it describes the processing, its necessity, the risks and the measures. The AI Act’s Article 27 adds a fundamental rights impact assessment for some deployers of high-risk AI, such as public bodies and companies scoring credit or pricing life and health insurance. After the 2026 AI Omnibus, high-risk duties for those areas apply from December 2, 2027. A DPIA already done can feed the FRIA.
Related terms
- GDPR: The EU regulation on personal data: lawful basis, minimal data, user rights and breach reporting, for anyone handling EU residents’ data.
- EU AI Act: The EU regulation on AI systems: bans some uses, regulates high-risk ones, and sets transparency and AI literacy duties.
- GDPR lawful basis (consent vs legitimate interest): Every use of personal data under GDPR needs one of six legal bases; consent is only one of them, and often not the best one.
- ISO/IEC 42001 (AI management system): The international standard for an AI management system: how a company governs, assesses and monitors the AI it builds or uses. It can be certified.
