Deciding which privacy certification to pursue can be, well, stressful. After all, you’ll be dedicating time and hard-earned money toward preparing for and passing the certification exam.
The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), the world’s largest global information privacy community, currently offers four core certification programs. These include the Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) and the Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT).
The CIPP is typically described as the “what” of privacy protection, while the CIPT is the technological “how.”
In this article, we’re going to look at CIPP vs. CIPT—what each certification is, who typically obtains each certification, and a quick overview of the certification exams.
What Is CIPP Certification?
Let’s start with the CIPP certification, as many privacy professionals do. The CIPP certification will equip you with foundational knowledge on privacy, which is why privacy professionals often pursue this certification first.
The CIPP certification is focused on privacy laws and regulations, including legal requirements for handling and transferring data. You’ll learn these laws and regulations inside and out, and you’ll learn how to apply them.
With four concentrations by region, you can select the CIPP exam that is most applicable to your organization and where it does business. The lineup includes: CIPP/United States, CIPP/Europe, CIPP/Canada, and CIPP/Asia.
Who Typically Obtains CIPP Certification?
With a focus on privacy laws and regulations, the CIPP certification is often pursued by lawyers and other legal professionals. The IAPP, accredited by the American Bar Association, actually has a separate designation for U.S. attorneys called the Privacy Law Specialist. In order to apply for this designation, you must hold a CIPP/US, plus the CIPT or Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) qualification.
However, the CIPP certification can be beneficial for non-legal professionals, too. Software engineers, accountants, content marketers, consultants, and professionals in other roles at an organization dealing with data and privacy protection can gain foundational knowledge through CIPP certification.
Having the CIPP certification next to your name will demonstrate your deep understanding of privacy laws and regulations, and how to adhere to and apply them according to your role within the organization. This helps you remain competitive, may lead to an increase in your salary, and can help you better collaborate across your organization.
CIPP Certification Exam
There are no prerequisites to sit for your CIPP certification exam. In order to get certified, you must first obtain a passing score on your exam.
There are no prerequisites to sit for your CIPP certification exam. In order to get certified, you must first obtain a passing score on your exam.
- I. Introduction to the U.S. Privacy Environment
- II. Limits on Private-sector Collection and Use of Data
- III. Government and Court Access to Private-sector Information
- IV. Workplace Privacy
- V. State Privacy Laws
For the IAPP certification exams, you have the choice of taking the exam in person at one of the 6,000 testing centers worldwide, or you can take the exam virtually with remote online proctoring.
What Is CIPT Certification?
In 2014, the IAPP introduced its globally recognized CIPT certification, making it the first association to offer a designation focused on privacy technology.
The CIPT certification focuses on using technology to build privacy into products, services, and processes. A privacy professional with the CIPT qualification can evaluate emerging technologies for their organization, understand how to use them and ensure customer privacy, and establish privacy practices for data security and control.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
With so many regulations on how data can be captured, stored, and used, the CIPT certification is essential for privacy professionals looking to demonstrate a deep understanding of privacy in technology to help mitigate risk for their organization. After all, noncompliance with data privacy regulations can cost an organization—both dollars and customer trust.
Who Typically Obtains CIPT Certification?
With a focus on technology, you’ll find more technically inclined professionals pursuing the CIPT certification, like software engineers and systems engineers.
However, having expertise in both privacy and technology can also benefit non-technical professionals. This includes lawyers, digital marketers, project managers, sales representatives, and any professional with a focus on communication and analytical skills rather than technical knowledge.
Whether you're on the tech team or not, the CIPT certification will – much like CIPP certification—help you remain competitive in the field of privacy, may increase your earning potential, and can help you better collaborate across your organization. Just think, if your privacy engineers, project managers, and lawyers are all speaking the same language, there will be a better understanding of project plans and better adherence to privacy laws and regulations. With seamless collaboration, you’ll be able to develop better solutions more efficiently.
CIPT Certification Exam
Like the CIPP, there are no prerequisites for the CIPT certification exam. You must obtain a passing score on the 90-question exam, consisting of all multiple-choice questions in which you have 2.5 hours to complete.
The CIPT certification exam, like the other IAPP exams, is separated into domains, which can be found in the CIPT BoK and Exam Blueprint. For the CIPT exam, there are seven domains:
- I. Foundational Principles
- II. The Privacy Technologist’s Role in the Context of the Organization
- III. Privacy Risks, Threats and Violations
- IV. Privacy-Enhancing Strategies, Techniques and Technologies
- V. Privacy by Design
- VI. Privacy Engineering
- VII. Evolving or Emerging Technologies in Privacy
Like the CIPP and other IAPP certification exams, the CIPT exam can be taken in person at a testing center or virtually.
Certification Cost and Maintenance
When comparing the CIPP vs. CIPT certification costs and maintenance, you’ll find that the two are equal.
Both certification exams cost $550 USD for first-time IAPP test-takers. Once certified, you’ll be required to pay a $250 Certification Maintenance Fee (CMF) for each two-year certification term. However, if you have an IAPP membership, the CMF is waived, as it is built into the membership benefits.
In addition to paying the CMF every two years, you must also submit 20 Continuing Privacy Education (CPE) credits. CPEs ensure you stay current on privacy laws and regulations, long after you’ve completed your certification exam. You can rack up CPEs in a variety of ways, including attending an IAPP in-person conference or virtual event.
Preparing for the Certification Exams
According to the IAPP, your first step in preparing for any of the IAPP certification exams should be to review the Certification Candidate Handbook. As referenced above, the BoK for each exam is another helpful resource from IAPP.
Like many privacy professionals, you may want to explore test preparation beyond what the IAPP offers. Here at Privacy Bootcamp, we offer online, self-paced courses for both the CIPP and CIPT certification exams.
Each course comes with interactive study tools and resources, including guided e-study modules, hundreds of digital flashcards and practice questions, interactive exercises, a quick reference cheat sheet, and a live-exam environment that mimics the actual testing application.
Conclusion: CIPP vs. CIPT
Let’s sum this up.
The CIPP certification focuses on privacy laws and regulations, and is often pursued by lawyers and other legal professionals. The CIPT certification focuses on building privacy into products and services, and is often sought after by technically inclined professionals, like software engineers and systems engineers.
That said, there are benefits to pursuing both the CIPP as a non-legal professional and the CIPT as a non-technical professional. Many professionals ultimately pursue both designations.
With exam structure, costs, and maintenance consistent across the two certifications, you can focus on the needs of your role within the organization and your individual career goals to determine which is the best certification to pursue.
