{"id":539,"date":"2018-08-29T19:24:19","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T23:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/help\/?post_type=ht_kb&p=539"},"modified":"2018-08-29T19:24:19","modified_gmt":"2018-08-29T23:24:19","slug":"what-is-personally-identifiable-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/what-is-personally-identifiable-information\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"personally<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Personally Identifiable Information, also known as PII, is any information that can be used to identify an individual. This kind of information can be used on its own, or in conjunction with other information that helps to identify an individual. Some examples of PII would be your full name, driver\u2019s license number, social security number, passport number, email address, vehicle registration number, biometric data (face, retinal, or fingerprint scans), birthdate, and telephone number. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep in mind that the above list is not \u201call-inclusive\u201d, and there are many other forms that PII can take, like your medical, employment, or financial histories. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why should I care about my PII?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your PII is just that – <\/span>yours<\/b>. So, issues arise when PII is mistreated and ends up in the wrong hands. Most often, PII is referenced when speaking about identity theft, data breaches, or general online privacy and security issues. When a company experiences a data breach, any PII that is being stored by that company can end up being sold on the dark web with the intention to be used to commit identity theft.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once your PII ends up on the dark web, it can be assembled by hackers and ID thieves to take over your identity. Typically, a single piece of PII is not enough for an ID thief to commit fraud, but by compiling a few pieces of PII from sources on the dark web or from <\/span>data brokers<\/strong>, an ID thief can begin strategizing against a potential target. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identity Theft is Real<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to emphasize that identity theft is very real, and should not be taken lightly – someone new is impacted by identity theft <\/span>every two seconds<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to <\/span>Javelin Strategy & Research<\/a><\/strong> in 2017: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n