Personally Identifiable Information and Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any information that permits the identity of an individual or to be directly or indirectly inferred, including any information that is linked or linkable to that individual, regardless of whether the individual is a U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident, visitor to the U.S.  

PII includes: name, email, home address and phone number.

Sensitive Personal Identifying Information (Sensitive PII) is defined as information that if lost, compromised, or disclosed could result in substantial harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or unfairness to an individual.

Sensitive PII consists of: social security numbers, bank account information, student information, drivers license and state ID information, etc. and could be used by criminals to conduct identity theft, blackmail, stalking, or other crimes.  Federal and state laws and university policies dictate how this information must be stored, transmitted, and processed. 

Handling of Information

• Student Information - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974
• Protected Health Information - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996
• Social Security Number (SSN) and Personal Information-University Data Trustees Program
• Personal Identifying Information (PII)-University Data Trustees Program