The principle of full functionality – positive sum, not zero-sum emphasizes that privacy and business objectives do not need to be traded off against one another. CIPM teaches that effective privacy programs enable innovation, operational efficiency, and customer trust simultaneously.

This principle rejects the notion that privacy protections reduce functionality or business value. Instead, it promotes solutions that achieve all legitimate objectives. The statement explicitly reflects this philosophy by stating that privacy by design seeks to accommodate all legitimate interests rather than forcing unnecessary compromises. Other principles focus on defaults, transparency, or user respect, but only the positive-sum principle directly addresses balancing competing objectives without sacrifice.