Legitimate Interests Assessment (LIA)

Learn how to conduct a Legitimate Interests Assessment (LIA) with Dastra.

What is a LIA?

A Legitimate Interests Assessment (LIA) is an analysis used to document and justify the use of legitimate interests as the legal basis for a processing activity. It helps verify that the controller's interests are not overridden by the rights and freedoms of the individuals concerned.

The GDPR does not require a LIA to be formally documented, but it is strongly recommended as a matter of accountability and may be requested by data protection authorities.

LIA template in Dastra

Dastra provides a LIA template in the questionnaire library:

• Legitimate interests assessment (LIA): 26 questions structured around the three-part test

To access it, go to the "Questionnaire templates" tab, click "Create a template" → "Automated questionnaires", and search for "LIA".

Structure of a LIA questionnaire

The LIA is structured around three tests:

1. Legitimacy test — identify the legitimate interest pursued: why you want to process the data, who benefits from it, and what the desired outcome is for individuals

2. Necessity test — demonstrate that the processing is necessary to achieve the purpose and that less intrusive alternatives have been considered

3. Balancing test — weigh the controller's interests against the rights and freedoms of individuals, taking into account the nature of the data, the reasonable expectations of individuals, and any safeguards in place

Creating a LIA directly from a processing activity

When editing a processing activity in Dastra, you can create a LIA directly from a purpose using legitimate interests as its legal basis:

1. Go to the Purposes tab of the processing activity

2. Open a purpose with "Legitimate interests" as its legal basis

3. Click "Create a Legitimate Interests Assessment (LIA)"

This automatically links the LIA response to the relevant purpose.

Go further

PIA / DPIATransfer Impact Assessment (TIA)