---
name: pia-generation
title: /pia-generation
description: Generate a Privacy Impact Assessment in house format for a new feature, product, or processing activity, using the structure learned from your seed PIA. Use when the user says "write a PIA", "privacy impact assessment for", "do we need a PIA for this", "privacy review this feature", or describes a new data processing activity.
author: anthropics
author_url: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-for-legal/tree/main/privacy-legal/skills/pia-generation
license: Apache-2.0
version: 0.1.0
execution_mode: open
jurisdiction: general
practice: data-protection
language: en
---

# /pia-generation

1. Load `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/privacy-legal/CLAUDE.md` → PIA house style (trigger, structure, depth, sign-off).
2. Run the workflow below.
3. Check: is a PIA actually needed? (House trigger + research the mandatory-assessment triggers for each applicable regime — cite primary sources, verify currency.)
4. Intake: ask the product-team questions. Can pull from PRD if provided.
5. Write PIA in house format. Include privacy policy consistency check.
6. Output with conditions list and named owners. Route for sign-off.

```
/privacy-legal:pia-generation "Location sharing feature"
```

```
/privacy-legal:pia-generation
PRD: [Drive link]
```

---

# PIA Generation

## Matter context

**Matter context.** Check `## Matter workspaces` in the practice-level CLAUDE.md. If `Enabled` is `✗` (the default for in-house users), skip the rest of this paragraph — skills use practice-level context and the matter machinery is invisible. If enabled and there is no active matter, ask: "Which matter is this for? Run `/privacy-legal:matter-workspace switch <slug>` or say `practice-level`." Load the active matter's `matter.md` for matter-specific context and overrides. Write outputs to the matter folder at `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/privacy-legal/matters/<matter-slug>/`. Never read another matter's files unless `Cross-matter context` is `on`.

---

## Destination check

Before producing output, check where it's going. If the user has named a destination (a channel, a distribution list, a counterparty, "everyone"), ask whether it's inside the privilege circle. Public channels, company-wide lists, counterparty/opposing counsel, vendors, and clients (for work product) waive the protection. When the destination looks outside the circle, flag it and offer (a) the privileged version for legal only, (b) a sanitized version for the broader channel, or (c) both — don't silently apply a privileged header and then help paste it somewhere the header won't protect it. See the canonical `## Shared guardrails → Destination check` in this plugin's CLAUDE.md.

## Purpose

A PIA is a conversation with the product team, captured. It asks: what data, why, how long, who sees it, what could go wrong. This skill structures that conversation and writes the output in this team's format — the one learned from the seed PIA during cold-start.

## Jurisdiction assumption

This assessment assumes the jurisdictional scope specified in your configuration. Privacy rules, assessment triggers, and lawful bases vary materially by jurisdiction (GDPR vs. state consumer privacy laws vs. sectoral). If the processing activity, controller, or affected data subjects fall under a different jurisdiction, this analysis may not apply as written.

## Load prior context on this feature / activity

Before writing a new PIA, check the outputs folder for prior work on the same feature, processing activity, or counterparty. Read `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/privacy-legal/CLAUDE.md` → `## Outputs` for the path. Scan for:

- **Prior `use-case-triage` results** covering this activity — the triage's risk rating, mandatory conditions, and called-out concerns are the entry point for the PIA.
- **Prior `pia-generation` outputs** for the same or an overlapping activity — a superseding PIA should reconcile (what changed, what carried over). A PIA that silently produces different conclusions than a prior PIA on the same activity is a contradiction a reviewing attorney cannot see.
- **Prior `dpa-review` outputs** for vendors in scope — the DPA review's findings inform the PIA's analysis of subprocessor / cross-border / retention risk.

If a prior output is found, cite it in the PIA:

> "Prior triage ([date]) rated this [risk level] and required [conditions]. This PIA builds on that finding — [which conditions are satisfied, which remain, which are re-scoped]."

If a prior PIA exists:
> "This PIA supersedes the [date] PIA because [reason — scope change, new data category, vendor change, regulatory change]. Conclusions carried over: [X]. Conclusions revised: [Y, because Z]."

**Carry severity from upstream as a floor** per the cross-skill severity floor rule in `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/privacy-legal/CLAUDE.md` → `## Shared guardrails`. A use-case-triage that rated the activity high-risk cannot become a PIA that concludes low-risk without stating why and what changed.

If no prior output is found, say so explicitly — "No prior triage or PIA on this activity in outputs folder; this is a cold start" — so the reviewing attorney knows the check ran and didn't find anything to reconcile.

## Load house style

Read `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/privacy-legal/CLAUDE.md` → `## PIA house style`. That has:
- What triggers a PIA here (may not match regulatory DPIA triggers — some teams PIA everything, some only high-risk)
- The structure template extracted from the seed PIA
- Typical depth
- Who signs off

If the seed PIA structure is in the config CLAUDE.md, **use it**. The point is that this PIA looks like the other PIAs this team produces, not like a generic one.

## Step 0: Is a PIA needed?

Check the trigger criteria in `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/privacy-legal/CLAUDE.md`. That is the team's house answer.

In addition, **research the currently operative mandatory-assessment triggers** for each regime in the regulatory footprint (GDPR/UK GDPR DPIA triggers, CCPA/CPRA risk-assessment triggers, other US state data-protection assessment triggers, sectoral regimes). Cite the controlling statute, regulation, or regulator guidance with pinpoint references. Verify currency — assessment thresholds and definitions shift through new state laws, rulemaking, and enforcement guidance. Flag uncertainty rather than guess.

> **No silent supplement.** If a research query to the configured legal research tool returns few or no results for a regime's DPIA / risk-assessment triggers or lawful-basis rules, report what was found and stop. Do NOT fill the gap from web search or model knowledge without asking. Say: "The search returned [N] results from [tool]. Coverage appears thin for [regime / question]. Options: (1) broaden the search query, (2) try a different research tool, (3) search the web — results will be tagged `[web search — verify]` and should be checked against a primary source before relying, or (4) flag as unverified and stop. Which would you like?" A lawyer decides whether to accept lower-confidence sources.
>
> **Source attribution.** Tag every citation in the PIA with where it came from: `[Westlaw]`, `[regulator site]`, or the MCP tool name for citations retrieved from a legal research connector; `[web search — verify]` for web-search citations; `[model knowledge — verify]` for citations recalled from training data; `[user provided]` for citations the user supplied. Citations tagged `verify` carry higher fabrication risk and should be checked first. Never strip or collapse the tags.

Beyond statutory mandates, treat these as **strong indicators** that a PIA is worth doing even if not strictly mandatory (research whether any of them independently triggers a mandatory assessment under the applicable regime):

- New technology or novel use of existing tech
- Children's data
- Combining datasets that weren't collected together
- Data that could enable discrimination
- Processing that users wouldn't expect

If no statutory trigger applies and the house trigger also isn't met → "Doesn't look like this needs a PIA. Here's a one-paragraph note for the file explaining why, in case anyone asks."

## The intake

Before writing anything, get answers to these from the product team. Conversational is fine — this isn't a form to send them.

### What and why

- What's the feature/product/change?
- What problem does it solve for users?
- What personal data does it touch? Be specific — "user data" is not an answer. Which fields?
- Is any of it new collection, or is it all data you already have?
- What's the processing — storage, analysis, sharing, automated decisions?

### Legal basis / regime-specific checks

For each applicable regime, **research the currently operative framework** for the question below and cite primary sources:

- Under regimes that require an identified lawful basis for processing (e.g., GDPR, UK GDPR), identify the basis for each purpose (contract / legitimate interest / consent / legal obligation / vital interests / public task / other). Research the specific requirements and any balancing-test or consent-standard expectations; cite controlling authority.
- Under regimes that regulate disclosures (e.g., CCPA/CPRA and other US state privacy laws), check whether any flow looks like a "sale," "share," or other regulated disclosure under the currently operative statutory definitions. Third-party advertising is a recurring trap — research whether it falls within the regulated category for the applicable regime.
- Under sectoral regimes (HIPAA, GLBA, COPPA, FERPA, etc.), research any regime-specific basis or disclosure rules.

Verify currency; statutory definitions and bases are amended often. Flag uncertainty for attorney verification.

### Who and where

- Who inside the company can see this data? Engineers? Support? Analysts?
- Any third parties? Vendors, partners, analytics?
- Where is it stored? Which region? New infrastructure or existing?
- How long is it kept? Is there a deletion schedule or does it live forever?

### What could go wrong

- If this data leaked, what's the harm to the person?
- Could this data be used to discriminate, even accidentally?
- Would users be surprised this is happening? (The "creepy test" — not a legal standard but a useful one.)
- Is there an opt-out? Should there be?

## Writing the PIA

**Use the seed PIA structure from the config CLAUDE.md.** If none was captured, use this default. Prepend the work-product header from `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/privacy-legal/CLAUDE.md` `## Outputs` (it differs by user role — see `## Who's using this`).

```markdown
[WORK-PRODUCT HEADER — per plugin config ## Outputs]

# Privacy Impact Assessment: [Feature/Product Name]

**Prepared by:** [name] | **Date:** [date] | **Status:** DRAFT / APPROVED
**Product owner:** [name] | **Privacy reviewer:** [name]

---

## Executive summary

[Two sentences: what this is, whether it's okay. E.g., "Feature X collects
location data to provide Y. Processing is consistent with existing privacy
policy commitments and uses consent as lawful basis. Two mitigations
recommended below; no blockers identified."]

**Overall risk:** [Reviewer to set: 🟢 Low / 🟡 Medium / 🟠 High / 🔴 Very high]

---

## 1. Description of processing

**What:** [the feature, in plain English]
**Data categories:** [specific fields — not "user data"]
**Data subjects:** [customers / end users / employees / etc.]
**Purpose:** [why — tie to user benefit]
**New collection?** [yes — these fields are new / no — reusing existing data]

---

## 2. Lawful basis

| Purpose | Basis | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| [purpose 1] | [Contract / LI / Consent / etc.] | [if LI: balancing test summary; if consent: how obtained] |

---

## 3. Data flow

**Collection:** [how/where data enters]
**Storage:** [system, region, encryption]
**Access:** [who, via what controls]
**Sharing:** [third parties, purpose, governed by which DPA]
**Retention:** [how long, deletion mechanism]

---

## 4. Privacy policy consistency

| Policy commitment | Consistent? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| [commitment from config CLAUDE.md privacy policy section] | 🟢 / 🟡 | |

[If any 🟡: policy update needed before launch, or processing needs to change]

---

## 5. Risks and mitigations

| # | Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation | Status | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [specific risk, tied to the design — not "data breach" generically] | L/M/H | L/M/H | [specific control] | Done / Planned / Gap | [name] |

**Residual risk after mitigations:** [assessment]

---

## 6. Data subject rights

| Right | Can be exercised? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Access | | |
| Deletion | | |
| Correction | | |
| Portability | | |
| Objection | | |

---

## 7. Recommendation

[APPROVED / APPROVED WITH CONDITIONS / CHANGES REQUIRED / NOT APPROVED]

**Conditions (if any):**
- [ ] [specific thing that has to happen before launch]

**Sign-off:** [name, date]
```

## Risk quality standards

Risks in a PIA should be **specific and tied to the design**, not generic. Bad risks pad the document and train readers to skim.

| Bad risk | Why bad | Better |
|---|---|---|
| "Data breach" | Applies to everything; says nothing | "Location history accessible by support staff via the admin panel without audit logging — a malicious insider could track a user undetected" |
| "Non-compliance with GDPR" | Circular — the PIA is supposed to *assess* compliance | Name the specific article and the gap |
| "Users might not like it" | Vague | "Users who opted out of marketing may still receive this because the opt-out flag isn't checked in this flow" |

Aim for 2-5 real risks, not 15 padded ones.

## Privacy policy diff

Every PIA should cross-check against the privacy policy commitments in `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/privacy-legal/CLAUDE.md`. The common drift:

- Policy says "we collect X, Y, Z" — new feature collects W. Policy needs updating, or stop collecting W.
- Policy says "we don't sell data" — new feature shares with an ad partner. That might be a CCPA sale.
- Policy says retention is "as long as your account is active" — new feature keeps data post-deletion.

Flag every mismatch. One of them has to change before launch.

## Handoff

- **To product team:** Conditions list with owners and deadlines. Not "improve security" — "add audit logging to the admin panel's location lookup, owner: [eng lead], before launch."
- **To reg-gap-analysis skill:** If the PIA uncovered a policy inconsistency, that skill tracks the policy update.
- **To the sign-off process:** Per `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/privacy-legal/CLAUDE.md` → who approves PIAs.

## Gate: submitting a DPIA to a regulator

Producing an internal PIA is research and documentation. *Submitting a DPIA to a supervisory authority* — or voluntarily disclosing one to a regulator in response to an inquiry — is the consequential act.

**Before proceeding to submit a DPIA (or any equivalent impact assessment) to a regulator, supervisory authority, or enforcement body:** Read `## Who's using this` in `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/privacy-legal/CLAUDE.md`. If the Role is Non-lawyer:

> Submitting to a regulator has legal consequences — the document becomes part of the supervisory record and any material omission or error becomes enforcement exposure. Have you reviewed this with an attorney? If yes, proceed. If no, here's a brief to bring to them:
>
> [Generate a 1-page summary: regime and regulator, why a submission is being made (mandatory trigger or voluntary), the risks identified, residual risk after mitigations, any flagged uncertainty, and the three things to ask the attorney before filing.]
>
> If you need to find a licensed attorney, solicitor, barrister, or other authorised legal professional in your jurisdiction: your professional regulator's referral service is the fastest starting point (state bar in the US, SRA/Bar Standards Board in England & Wales, Law Society in Scotland/NI/Ireland/Canada/Australia, or your jurisdiction's equivalent).

Do not proceed past this gate without an explicit yes.

## Close with the next-steps decision tree

End with the next-steps decision tree per CLAUDE.md `## Outputs`. Customize the options to what this skill just produced — the five default branches (draft the X, escalate, get more facts, watch and wait, something else) are a starting point, not a lock-in. The tree is the output; the lawyer picks.

## What this skill does not do

- It doesn't approve the processing. A human signs the PIA.
- It doesn't write a DPIA for a supervisory authority — that's a more formal document with specific regulatory requirements. This is the internal assessment.
- It doesn't design the mitigation. It describes what needs mitigating; engineering designs the fix.
