---
title: "PIPL impact assessment template"
canonical_url: "https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/personal-information-protection-impact-assessment-template"
source_url: "https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/personal-information-protection-impact-assessment-template"
author: "Sorena AI"
description: "Template fields for a China personal information protection impact assessment and export/entrusted-processing evidence."
published_at: "2026-07-05"
updated_at: "2026-07-24"
keywords:
  - "China PIPL"
  - "Personal Information Protection Law"
  - "Data export"
  - "Standard contract"
  - "App privacy"
---
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---

# PIPL impact assessment template

Template fields for a China personal information protection impact assessment and export/entrusted-processing evidence.

*Privacy* *China*

## China Privacy Law PIPL impact assessment template

Use this working template before sensitive-information processing, automated decision-making, entrustment, provision or disclosure, overseas transfer, or another activity with a major effect on individual rights.

Complete and approve a personal information protection impact assessment before processing sensitive personal information, using personal information for automated decision-making, entrusting processing, providing personal information to another processor, publicly disclosing it, transferring it overseas, or carrying out another activity with a major effect on individual rights. This is a working record, not an official CAC form. It must show the actual processing, the Article 55 trigger, legality, legitimacy, necessity, effects on individuals, security risks, safeguards, remaining risk, and the decision to proceed, change, or stop.

## 1. Assessment identity, trigger, and scope

Assign the assessment to the personal information processor responsible for the activity. Name a business owner, privacy or legal reviewer, security reviewer, control owners, approver, and review date. One assessment may cover a defined processing activity, but it should not combine unrelated purposes or systems so broadly that the risks and controls cannot be checked.

- Assessment ID and version: stable identifier, status, owner, approver, creation date, approval date, and linked processing record.
- Article 55 trigger: sensitive personal information; automated decision-making; entrustment; provision to another processor; public disclosure; overseas provision; or another activity with a major effect on individual rights.
- Processing scope: product or service, systems, user groups, jurisdictions, start date, purpose, operations, frequency, scale, personal information categories, sensitive categories, sources, recipients, access locations, onward provision, storage, retention, and deletion.
- People affected: identify children under 14, employees, patients, customers, or other groups whose circumstances change the likely effect or required controls.
- Related decisions: link the processing basis, notice, consent or separate-consent design, vendor role analysis, automated-decision controls, export route, and any required security self-assessment.

Sources for this answer:

- [PRC Personal Information Protection Law](https://www.cac.gov.cn/2021-08/20/c_1631050028355286.htm?ref=sorena.io) - Article 55 lists the activities requiring a prior impact assessment and a processing record; Articles 20-31 and 38-40 provide context for the selected trigger.

## 2. Legality, necessity, effects, and risks

Article 56 sets three required assessment subjects. The record should answer each one with facts and linked evidence rather than a pass or fail label.

- Legality and legitimacy: identify the PIPL processing basis, applicable notice and consent requirements, purpose limits, recipient or vendor role, individual-rights route, and any sector rule or authorization that affects the activity.
- Necessity: explain why the purpose is specific and reasonable, why each category and operation is directly related to it, whether less data or a less intrusive method would work, and why the retention period is the shortest necessary unless another law sets it.
- Effects on individuals: assess loss of control, denial of service or opportunity, unfair or opaque automated outcomes, discrimination, embarrassment, identity or financial harm, surveillance, physical-safety risk, and added effects on children or other affected groups.
- Security risks: cover unauthorized access, excessive privilege, insecure transfer or storage, re-identification, misuse, alteration, loss, leakage, recipient failure, vendor or onward-transfer risk, incident detection, and inability to fulfill individual rights.
- Risk record: for each credible scenario, record cause, affected information and people, likelihood and effect rationale, existing safeguards, control owner, evidence, planned action, deadline, and remaining risk after treatment.

Sources for this answer:

- [PRC Personal Information Protection Law](https://www.cac.gov.cn/2021-08/20/c_1631050028355286.htm?ref=sorena.io) - Article 56 requires analysis of legality, legitimacy, necessity, effects on individual rights, security risks, and whether safeguards are lawful, effective, and proportionate.

## 3. Safeguards, decision, and retention

For each material risk, test whether the proposed protection measure is lawful, works in the actual system and operating process, and matches the level of risk. Name the evidence that proves implementation, such as configuration, access review, test result, contract, deletion record, incident exercise, or rights-request test.

- Decision: approve, approve with conditions, redesign, or stop. Record unresolved issues, conditions, owners, deadlines, and who accepted any remaining risk within the organization's authority.
- Pre-start gate: do not begin the assessed activity until required controls, notices, consents, contracts, recipient reviews, and export steps are complete.
- Retention: keep the impact assessment report and processing record for at least three years. A longer period may follow from another applicable duty or the need to evidence an ongoing activity.
- Change review: reassess before a material change to purpose, method, personal information, sensitivity, scale, affected group, algorithm, vendor, recipient, destination, access model, retention, legal environment, or safeguard.
- Operational review: connect incidents, complaints, rights requests, audit findings, model or system monitoring, vendor reviews, and control failures back to the assessment.

Sources for this answer:

- [PRC Personal Information Protection Law](https://www.cac.gov.cn/2021-08/20/c_1631050028355286.htm?ref=sorena.io) - Article 56 establishes the safeguards test and minimum three-year retention; Articles 51 and 57 support security controls and incident handling.
- [Measures for the Standard Contract for Personal Information Export](https://www.cac.gov.cn/2023-02/24/c_1678884830036813.htm?ref=sorena.io) - Articles 5 and 8 add export-specific assessment subjects and reassessment triggers when the standard-contract route is used.

*Operationalize the requirement*

*Placement: Before primary sources*

## Prepare the PIPL and data export evidence file

Sorena AI helps turn the China Privacy Law PIPL impact assessment template decision into owners, controls, and reviewer-ready records.

- [Map official sources to evidence](/solutions/research-copilot.md): Research Copilot connects the official citation, decision, owner, retained evidence, and change history.
- [Review the China route](/contact.md): Check the China Privacy Law scope decision and unresolved launch questions with Sorena.

## Primary sources

- [PRC Personal Information Protection Law](https://www.cac.gov.cn/2021-08/20/c_1631050028355286.htm?ref=sorena.io) - Binding source for PIPIA triggers, minimum assessment content, processing records, security duties, and minimum three-year retention.
- [Measures for the Standard Contract for Personal Information Export](https://www.cac.gov.cn/2023-02/24/c_1678884830036813.htm?ref=sorena.io) - Export-specific impact-assessment subjects and change triggers for the standard-contract route.
- [Measures for Security Assessment of Data Export](https://www.cac.gov.cn/2022-07/07/c_1658811536396503.htm?ref=sorena.io) - Separate data-export risk self-assessment requirements where a CAC security assessment is required; this filing assessment does not replace the PIPL impact assessment.

## Related Topic Guides

- [App minimum necessary personal information by category](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/app-minimum-necessary-personal-information-by-category.md): App category mapping page for common mobile app necessary personal information scope, using only categories supported by the official source.
- [China app personal information minimization](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/app-personal-information-minimization.md): How to map app category, basic functions, and necessary personal information under China mobile app personal-information rules.
- [China data export security assessment workflow](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/data-export-security-assessment-workflow.md): Workflow for screening data export security assessment triggers, materials, owners, and evidence records.
- [China personal information cross-border transfer routes](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/cross-border-transfer-routes.md): Compare China's current data-export exemptions, CAC security assessment, standard contract, and personal information protection certification routes.
- [China personal information standard contract filing workflow](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/standard-contract-filing-workflow.md): Workflow for the PIPL standard contract route, assessment, filing package, and cited evidence.
- [China PIPL compliance checklist](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/checklist.md): China PIPL compliance checklist covering scope, processing bases, notices, sensitive information, rights, vendors, impact assessments, incidents, and exports.
- [China PIPL deadlines and compliance calendar](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/deadlines-and-compliance-calendar.md): Calendar China PIPL effective dates, recurring audits, privacy-officer reporting, impact-assessment retention, and data export filing and renewal deadlines.
- [China PIPL penalties and enforcement exposure](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/penalties-and-fines.md): Understand PIPL corrective orders, serious-violation fines, responsible-person exposure, civil claims, public-interest actions, and data export enforcement.
- [China PIPL privacy notice and consent checklist](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/privacy-policy-and-consent-checklist.md): China PIPL checklist for privacy notices, valid consent, separate consent, sensitive information, children under 14, withdrawal, and rights requests.
- [China PIPL requirements](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/requirements.md): China PIPL requirements from scope and processing basis through notices, rights, security, impact assessments, incidents, vendors, and data exports.
- [China PIPL vs CCPA/CPRA: Requirements Compared](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/china-pipl-vs-ccpa-cpra.md): Compare PIPL and CCPA/CPRA scope, consent and opt-out rules, rights, assessments, data exports, breach duties, and penalties.
- [China PIPL vs EU GDPR: Requirements Compared](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/china-privacy-law-vs-gdpr.md): Compare PIPL and GDPR scope, roles, legal bases, rights, impact assessments, breach deadlines, international transfers, and penalties.
- [China PIPL vs Singapore PDPA: Requirements Compared](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/china-privacy-law-vs-singapore-pdpa.md): Compare PIPL and Singapore PDPA scope, roles, consent alternatives, rights, breach duties, overseas transfers, and penalties.
- [China Privacy Law FAQ](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/faq.md): Practical answers on China's PIPL: scope, legal bases, sensitive information, separate consent, vendors, PIPIA records, app minimization, and export routes.
- [How should vendor contracts handle entrusted processing under PIPL?](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/faq/how-should-vendor-contracts-handle-entrusted-processing.md): A PIPL entrusted-processing contract must define the purpose, duration, method, personal-information categories, safeguards, and both parties' duties. See the required terms and supporting records.
- [Is PIPL the same as GDPR?](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/faq/is-pipl-the-same-as-gdpr.md): No. China's PIPL and the EU GDPR overlap on core privacy controls, but differ in territorial scope, legal bases, roles, sensitive data, impact assessments, and transfer routes.
- [PIPL automated decision-making and personalized recommendations](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/automated-decision-making-and-personalized-recommendations.md): PIPL checks for automated decisions, personalized recommendations, marketing, differential treatment, explanations, refusal rights, and impact assessments.
- [PIPL breach response and notification](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/breach-response-and-notification.md): PIPL incident workflow for immediate remediation, authority and individual notices, the narrow individual-notice exception, vendor coordination, and evidence.
- [PIPL cross-border transfer route selector](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/pipl-cross-border-transfer-route-selector.md): Step-by-step selector for China's data-export exemptions, CAC security assessment, standard contract, and personal information protection certification.
- [PIPL entrusted processing and vendor contracts](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/entrusted-processing-and-vendor-contracts.md): How to document entrusted processing, vendor responsibilities, contract controls, and evidence under PIPL.
- [Sensitive personal information and separate consent under PIPL](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/sensitive-personal-information-and-separate-consent.md): How to identify sensitive PI triggers, separate consent, minors, additional safeguards, and evidence records.
- [What counts as sensitive personal information in China?](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/faq/what-counts-as-sensitive-personal-information-in-china.md): PIPL uses a harm-based test for sensitive personal information and lists examples such as biometrics, health, financial accounts, location traces, and all personal information of children under 14.
- [What is separate consent under PIPL?](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/faq/what-is-separate-consent-under-pipl.md): Separate consent under China's PIPL is a distinct consent for a specified processing activity. See when it applies, what notice must come first, and what evidence to keep.
- [What records should we keep for a PIPL impact assessment?](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/faq/what-records-should-we-keep-for-a-pipl-impact-assessment.md): A PIPL impact-assessment file should preserve the Article 55 trigger, processing facts, Article 56 analysis, safeguards, decision, and processing record for at least three years.
- [What should an app collect as necessary personal information in China?](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/faq/what-should-an-app-collect-as-necessary-personal-information.md): Match the app's basic function to China's 2021 rules and collect no more than the listed necessary personal information. Users must retain the basic function if they decline non-necessary data.
- [When can a company use the China standard contract route?](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/faq/when-can-a-company-use-the-china-standard-contract-route.md): Use China's standard contract route only after applying the 2024 exemptions and confirming that no CAC security assessment is required. See current thresholds, filing steps, and change triggers.
- [When does a China PIPL security assessment apply?](/artifacts/apac/china-privacy-law/faq/when-does-a-china-pipl-security-assessment-apply.md): A CAC data export security assessment applies to CIIO exports, important data, and specified high-volume personal-information exports after the 2024 exemptions are applied.


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