Personal information

Personal Information

Personal information (pronunciation: /ˈpɜːrsənəl ɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/), also known as personal data or personally identifiable information (PII), refers to any information that can be used to identify an individual. The term is often used in the context of digital privacy and data protection laws.

Etymology

The term "personal information" is derived from the Latin word "persona" meaning "person" and the Middle English word "informacioun" meaning "knowledge communicated". The term "personally identifiable information" is a legal term that originated in the United States in the late 20th century with the advent of data privacy laws.

Definition

Personal information can include, but is not limited to, a person's name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, financial information, and health records. In the context of data privacy, personal information also includes any data that can be used to identify, locate, or contact an individual, such as IP addresses, geolocation data, and online identifiers.

Related Terms

• Data Privacy: The practice of ensuring that personal information is collected, stored, and used in a manner that respects individual privacy rights.
• Data Protection: The process of safeguarding personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction.
• Personally Identifiable Information (PII): Any information that can be used to identify an individual, either on its own or when combined with other personal or identifying information.
• Sensitive Personal Information: A subset of personal information that is given more protection because its disclosure could result in harm to the individual. This can include financial information, health records, and information about a person's race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs.

See Also

• Information Privacy
• Data Security
• Identity Theft
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Personal information
• Wikipedia's article - Personal information

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