What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII) – Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is defined as data used in research that is not considered PHI and is therefore not subject to the HIPAA Privacy and security Rules. The key distinction between PII and PHI is that PHI is associated with or derived from a healthcare service event, i.e.
What is an example of a PII?
What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)? – Personally Identifiable Information (PII) includes: “(1) any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, or biometric records; and (2) any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information.” 1 Examples of PII include, but are not limited to:
- Name: full name, maiden name, mother’s maiden name, or alias
- Personal identification numbers: social security number (SSN), passport number, driver’s license number, taxpayer identification number, patient identification number, financial account number, or credit card number
- Personal address information: street address, or email address
- Personal telephone numbers
- Personal characteristics: photographic images (particularly of face or other identifying characteristics), fingerprints, or handwriting
- Biometric data: retina scans, voice signatures, or facial geometry
- Information identifying personally owned property: VIN number or title number
- Asset information: Internet Protocol (IP) or Media Access Control (MAC) addresses that consistently link to a particular person
The following examples on their own do not constitute PII as more than one person could share these traits. However, when linked or linkable to one of the above examples, the following could be used to identify a specific person:
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Business telephone number
- Business mailing or email address
- Race
- Religion
- Geographical indicators
- Employment information
- Medical information 2
- Education information 3
- Financial information
What is PII classification?
What Qualifies as PII? – PII includes names, addresses, emails, birthdates, medical records, credit card numbers, financial statements, passport numbers, social security numbers, driver’s licenses’, and vehicle plate numbers. It also includes biometric data, such as handwriting, fingerprints, and photographs of the data subject.
What does PCI and PII stand for?
Personally identifiable information (PII), personal health information (PHI), and payment card industry (PCI) data are different categories of information that organizations can use to identify individuals and provide them with a service. PII, PHI, and PCI all fall under the category of information governance.
What is PII under GDPR?
GDPR personal data – what information does this cover? Almost all of our interactions with organizations involve an exchange of personal data. Examples include name, phone number, and address. One of these pieces of data may not be enough to identify an individual.
However, when collected together, they can identify a particular person and therefore constitute personal data. This is why it is often referred to as personally identifiable information or PII, Data ceases to be personal when it is made anonymous, and an individual is no longer identifiable. But for data to be truly anonymized, the anonymization must be irreversible.
Data that has been encrypted de-identified or pseudonymized but can be used to re-identify a person is still personal data. The GDPR exists to protect our personal data on all levels. It is protected on all platforms, regardless of the technology used, and it applies to both manual and automated processing.
What is not an example of PII?
What are some examples of non-PII? Info such as business phone numbers and race, religion, gender, workplace, and job titles are typically not considered PII. But they should still be treated as sensitive, linkable info because they could identify an individual when combined with other data.
What is the difference between personal data and PII?
Understanding ‘personally identifiable information’ (PII) – Here’s something that’ll confuse you : Technically, all personally identifiable information (PII) is considered personal data, but not all personal data is considered PII. They’re not mutually exclusive.
PII consists of any information about a person — including data that can trace or distinguish their identity — and any information that can be linked to them (like medical, financial, or employment data). But personal data on its own doesn’t always consist of all those identifiers. When we talk about distinguishing a person’s identity, that means identifying one individual over another using specific data (like the Jane Smith example).
Tracing that individual means you’re processing enough data to understand aspects of that person’s status or activities. As such, personal information like name, email, phone number, Social Security number, etc. are considered PII. From a zoomed-out perspective, the greatest difference between personal data and PII is that PII is often used to differentiate one person from another, while personal data includes any information related to a living individual, whether it distinguishes them from another individual or not.
How is PII used?
Personally identifiable information (PII) includes information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity either directly or indirectly through linkages with other information. Additional information on PII is available in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Regulations, 34 CFR §99.3, and in the PTAC publication Checklist: Data Governance
What is the difference between PII and GDPR?
Variations of a term – Personal information and PII Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is the American term and the term personal information is meant to be the EU equivalent of PII. Nonetheless, they do not correspond with each other exactly. All PII can be personal data but not all personal data is considered as PII.
- Personal information in the context of the GDPR covers a broader range of information and some of this data is not considered PII,
- Therefore, to comply with the GDPR you need to look at the broader context of what personal data is.
- PII has a limited scope of data which includes: name, address, birth date, Social Security numbers and banking information.
Whereas, personal information in the context of the GDPR also references data such as: photographs, social media posts, preferences and location as personal. PII is any information that can be used to identify a person. This could be a single piece of data or multiple pieces of data that when compiled, or seen together, can identify a person or distinguish one person from another.
Personal information is any information relating to a person, directly or indirectly. However, with reference to the GDPR meaning of personal information, the regulation also determines the type and amount of data that you can collect, process and store. Sensitive personal data The GDPR also references ‘sensitive personal data’ which requires extra special care and incorporates enhanced requirements for protection and processing of this data.
This is usually attributed to health-related data, amongst others (racial or ethnic origin, political views, sexual preferences, religious beliefs etc.). It is the data which generates the highest risk and greatest harm to the individual if breached. Genetic and biometric data categories under the GDPR are classified as sensitive personal data.
What is a synonym for PII?
Personal data, also known as personal information or personally identifiable information (PII), is any information related to an identifiable person.
What are the two types of PII?
What pieces of information are considered PII? – According to NIST, PII can be divided into two categories: linked and linkable information. Linked information is more direct. It could include any personal detail that can be used to identify an individual. Examples of this kind of PII include:
- Full name
- Home address
- Email address
- Social security number
- Passport number
- Driver’s license number
- Credit card numbers
- Date of birth
- Telephone number
- Owned properties e.g. vehicle identification number (VIN)
- Login details
- Processor or device serial number*
- Media access control (MAC)*
- Internet Protocol (IP) address*
- Device IDs*
- Cookies*
NIST states that linked information can be ” Asset information, such as Internet Protocol (IP) or Media Access Control (MAC) address or other host-specific persistent static identifier that consistently links to a particular person or small, well-defined group of people “.
- First or last name (if common)
- Country, state, city, zip code
- Gender
- Race
- Non-specific age (e.g.30-40 instead of 30)
- Job position and workplace
Learn how to protect PII, non-PII and personal data Everything from the detailed definition of each to practical approaches to collecting and working with different types of data
How do you protect PII data?
Secure Sensitive PII in a locked desk drawer, file cabinet, or similar locked enclosure when not in use. When using Sensitive PII, keep it in an area where access is controlled and limited to persons with an official need to know. Avoid faxing Sensitive PII, if at all possible.
What is GDPR vs PCI?
Security Issues vs. Privacy Concerns – GDPR’s prime focus is on privacy and the protection of personal data. While collected personal data obviously needs to be protected, security is not the primary purpose of this regulation. GDPR also aims to put individuals in charge of their own data, giving them the means to withdraw consent, have their data erased, or control it in some way.
- PCI’s main focus is security and the protection of cardholder data.
- Protection from breaches, loss of data, and identity theft are all covered under PCI, but individuals do not have as much control over their own personal information.
- Instead, PCI focuses on keeping all cardholder data secure.
- Eeping servers secure, limiting access, and a focus on risk assessment and mitigation are hallmarks of PCI, not the safeguarding of personal information.
PCI seeks to limit and monitor access to payment information and cardholder data through a variety of initiatives and methods, while GDPR aims to protect the privacy of the user and prevent unauthorized use of their personal information.
Is PII PCI or PHI?
Payment Card Industry (PCI) – Payment Card Industry (PCI) information is any data that is used during a payment card transaction and overlaps to include PII, so yes, PCI does include PII. This data is typically associated with the financial services sector.
What is PII and non-PII examples?
PII, or personally identifiable information, is sensitive data that could be used to identify, contact, or locate an individual. What are some examples of non-PII? Info such as business phone numbers and race, religion, gender, workplace, and job titles are typically not considered PII.
What is PII vs non-PII?
What about pseudonymised data? – A personal data is considered as anonymized if it does not relate to an identified or identifiable natural person or if it has been rendered anonymous in such a manner that the data subject is not or no longer identifiable.
- Pseudonymisation of data means replacing any identifying characteristics of data with a pseudonym, or, in other words, a value which does not allow the data subject to be directly identified.
- Are pseudonymised data still considered as personal data? According to the Article 29 of the Working Party opinion, personal data that has been de-identified, encrypted or pseudonymised but can be used to re-identify a person remains personal data and falls within the scope of the GDPR.
Personal data that has been rendered anonymous in such a way that the individual is not or no longer identifiable is no longer considered personal data. For data to be truly anonymised, the anonymisation must be irreversible. PII includes any information that can be used to re-identify anonymous data.
Information that is anonymous and cannot be used to trace the identity of an individual is non-PII. Device IDs, cookies and IP addresses are not considered PII for most of the United States. But some states, like California, do classify this data as PII. California classifies aliases and account names as personal information as well.
In a nutshell, PII refers to any information that can be used to distinguish one individual from another. The GDPR definition of personal data is – deliberately – a very broad one. In principle, it covers any information that relates to an identifiable, living individual.