Understanding Personal Data Protection: What Counts As Protected Information?

what constitutes protected personal information

The protection of personal information has become a dominant issue for individuals, corporations, and governments. Multiple data protection laws have been adopted by various countries to create guidelines for companies that gather, store, and share the personal information of clients. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for example, requires organisations to protect all personal data, defined as any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. This includes information such as date of birth, geographical details, employment information, email address, and protected health information.

Characteristics Values
Date of birth
Geographical details ZIP code, city, state, country
Employment information
Email address
Mailing address
Race or ethnicity
Health information
Transaction information

cycivic

Date of birth

Personally identifiable information (PII) is any information that can be used to identify a person. This includes date of birth, geographical details (such as ZIP code, city, state, and country), employment information, email address, and mailing address.

Data protection laws, such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), have been implemented to ensure that organisations protect all personal data, including date of birth. These laws outline guidelines for companies that gather, store, and share personal information. For example, regulatory guidelines stipulate that data should be deleted if it is no longer needed and should not be shared with sources that cannot guarantee its protection.

To comply with data protection laws and ensure the security of personal information, organisations should follow the "principle of least privilege." This means that each employee should only have access to the resources necessary for their specific job. By scaling down access to data, the risk of data breaches and unauthorised access is reduced.

cycivic

Geographical details

For example, the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires organizations to protect all personal data, which is defined as "any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person." This means that any information that can be used to identify an individual, such as their geographical location, is considered protected personal information.

In the United States, the Department of Labor (DOL) has internal policies that specify security policies for the protection of personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive data. DOL contractors with access to personal information are expected to respect the confidentiality of such information and refrain from any conduct that indicates a careless or negligent attitude toward it.

To further protect personal information, companies should follow the "principle of least privilege," which means that employees should only have access to the resources necessary for their specific job. This helps to ensure that personal information is only accessible to those who need it and reduces the risk of data breaches.

Overall, geographical details are considered protected personal information, and multiple laws and regulations are in place to ensure that this information is handled securely and confidentially.

cycivic

Employment information

The protection of personal information, including employment details, is governed by various data protection laws and regulations, such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) internal policies. These laws and policies outline specific guidelines and responsibilities for organisations and individuals handling personal data.

For example, the GDPR requires organisations to protect all personal data, which is defined as "any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person." Similarly, the DOL contractors are reminded that safeguarding sensitive information, including employment information, is a critical responsibility.

To ensure the protection of employment information, organisations should implement measures such as scaling down access to data and following the "principle of least privilege." This means that each employee should only have access to the resources necessary for their specific job duties. Additionally, regulatory guidelines stipulate that data should be deleted when it is no longer needed and should not be shared with sources that cannot guarantee its protection.

By adhering to these guidelines and implementing appropriate security measures, organisations can help safeguard the privacy and confidentiality of individuals' employment information.

cycivic

Email address

An email address is considered personally identifiable information (PII) and is protected under various data protection laws. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for example, requires organisations to protect all personal data, including email addresses.

It is important to note that the protection of email addresses extends beyond just the address itself. The content of emails, including any attachments, is also considered protected personal information. This is because emails often contain sensitive information, such as financial or medical details, which could be used to cause harm if they fell into the wrong hands.

To comply with data protection laws and ensure the security of email addresses, organisations should implement appropriate technical and organisational measures. This includes limiting access to email addresses on a need-to-know basis, encrypting data, and regularly reviewing and deleting any information that is no longer required.

cycivic

Race or ethnicity

Information on race and ethnicity is considered sensitive personal data under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and is given a higher degree of protection. This includes information on racial or ethnic origin, such as American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, or Black or African American.

Race and ethnic origin information falls within the special category of sensitive personal information. The collection of this information is lawful in certain situations, such as a public census conducted by the National Statistics Office, as it meets the Article 9 public interest exception. In this case, the data is only accessed by authorised recipients working on the census, and safeguards are in place to protect sensitive data.

You have the right to limit a business's use and disclosure of your sensitive personal information related to race and ethnicity to only certain purposes under the law. For example, when signing up for a news site, buying a product, or creating an account with a streaming service, a business may use cookies or web beacons to record your browser and IP address, but they should not collect information on your race or ethnicity without your consent.

The GDPR's addition of biometric and genetic data to the sensitive personal data category may further protect information on race and ethnicity, as it blurs the boundary between specially protected information and regularly protected personal data.

Frequently asked questions

PII is any information that can be used to identify a person. This includes date of birth, geographical details, employment information, email address, race or ethnicity, and protected health information.

Multiple data protection laws have been adopted by various countries to create guidelines for companies that gather, store, and share PII. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for example, requires organisations to protect all personal data.

It is the responsibility of the individual user to protect the data to which they have access. Users must adhere to the rules of behaviour defined in applicable Systems Security Plans, and other relevant guidance.

Written by
Reviewed by

Explore related products

Share this post
Print
Did this article help you?

Leave a comment