SANS Assessment of Student Learning Plan (ASLP) Security Awareness Training

What does personally identifiable information (PII) include?

1. Information that cannot be linked to an individual

2. Information that can only identify groups of people

3. Information that can distinguish or trace an individual's identity

4. Information that is always publicly available

The correct answer is: Information that can distinguish or trace an individual's identity

Personally identifiable information (PII) encompasses any data that can be used to identify a specific individual, allowing for the tracing of their identity. This may include details such as a person's name, social security number, email address, phone number, or even specific biometric data. PII is crucial for various reasons, including privacy concerns and regulatory compliance, as misuse of this information can lead to identity theft and breaches of privacy. The other choices describe types of information that do not qualify as PII. For example, information that cannot be linked to an individual lacks the capability to identify someone specifically, thereby not meeting the criteria for PII. Similarly, data that only identifies groups of people does not provide personal identifiers needed to trace back to a specific individual. Lastly, publicly available information may be accessible to anyone and does not necessarily qualify as PII unless it can uniquely identify someone. Overall, PII is specifically focused on information that has the potential to identify a person individually, which is why the choice emphasizing the ability to distinguish or trace an individual's identity is accurate.