The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) is a nonprofit, non-advocacy membership association founded in 2000. It provides a forum for privacy professionals to share best practices, track trends, advance privacy management issues, standardize the designations for privacy professionals, provide education and guidance on career opportunities in the field of information privacy. The IAPP offers a full suite of educational and professional development services, including privacy training, certification programs, publications and annual conferences. It is headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. History Founded in 2000, IAPP was originally constituted as the Privacy Officers Association (POA). In 2002, it became the International Association of Privacy Officers (IAPO) when the POA merged with a competing group, the Association of Corporate Privacy Officers (ACPO). The group was renamed to the International Association of Privacy Professionals in 2003 to reflect a broadened mission that includes the ranks of corporate personnel, beyond the position of Chief Privacy Officer, engaged in privacy-related tasks. Membership reached 10,000 in 2012 and in 2019, the organization reported it had surpassed the 50,000 member mark. The rapid growth was the result of increased demand for privacy expertise in the face of emerging laws such as the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Half of the association's members are women. Professional certifications The IAPP is responsible for developing and launching a global credentialing programs in information privacy. The CIPM, CIPP/E, CIPP/US and CIPT credentials are accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard for Personnel Certification Bodies 17024:2012. These certifications have been described as "the gold standard" for validating privacy expertise. Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) The CIPP currently offers four areas of concentration, each focused on a specific region: United States (CIPP/US), Canada (CIPP/C), Europe (CIPP/E), Asia (CIPP/A). For several years, a specialization in US Government privacy matters (CIPP/G) was offered but the program was terminated on September 30, 2018, and is presently inactive. Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) The CIPM demonstrates understanding of the operational aspects of privacy program management. Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT) The CIPT demonstrates understanding of how to manage and build privacy requirements into technology. Privacy Law Specialist (PLS) In 2018, the IAPP initiated the PLS program, which is one of only 15 areas of legal specialization accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). The PLS is intended only for lawyers practicing in the US. By 2019, approximately