personally identifiable information (PII)

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or Sensitive Personal Information(SPI) is personal data from which a specific individual can be identified. A distinction is made between sensitive and non-sensitive personal information.

Non-sensitive data are statistical values of an anonymous group from which no conclusions can be drawn about an individual. As a result, no harm can be done to any individual. Non-sensitive data can come from address and telephone directories, websites and other generally accessible sources.

In contrast, sensitive personal data contains personal distinguishing characteristics. Such data can be used to distinguish one person from another. They should therefore be anonymized because, if disclosed, they may violate the privacy of the data subject and cause him or her harm. Therefore, sensitive personal data is encrypted and anonymized. Sensitive personal data includes biometric distinguishing characteristics, health information, financial information, and specific identifiers such as social security number or identity card.