What qualifies as personally identifiable information (PII)?

Personally identifiable information (PII) is defined as any data that can identify an individual either on its own or when combined with other information. This encompasses a wide range of information, such as names, social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. The key characteristic of PII is its potential to reveal the identity of a person, making it critical for privacy and security considerations in computing.

In contrast, publicly available company registration documents are not considered PII as they do not reveal personal information about individuals but rather information about an organization. General information about a company's services does not pertain to individual identities, and financial data alone is too narrow a definition, as PII can include various other forms of data, not just financial records. Therefore, the qualifying statement regarding personally identifiable information is that it includes data capable of revealing an individual's identity.