What is Personally Identifiable Information or PII? It is a term commonly used with regards to information that needs to be treated in a special manner.

The EU directive 95/46/EC Article 2a defines it as "personal data' shall mean any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person ('data subject'); an identifiable person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identification number or to one or more factors specific to his physical, physiological, mental, economic, cultural or social identity"

Examples of personally identifiable information include the obvious and the not so obvious, such as:

1. Names - (Both First and Last Names. First Names alone, If common, may not be considered personally identifiable.)
2. Any type of Government issued Identification - This can include social security numbers, driver's license numbers, Tax file Numbers, Social Insurance Number, and related.
3. Telephone Number
4. Street Address
5. E-mail Address
6. IP Address
7. Vehicle License Plate Number
8. Any type of biometric identification, whether that be face, fingerprint, or other
9. Credit Card Numbers
10. Online usernames and account information

This information needs to be treated with particular attention, especially when sharing and transfering infomormation with third parties and subsidiaries.  It is also important to monitor the transfer and use of this information when dealing with the collection, storage, and use of personally identifiable information in foreign countries around the globe.

Of particular importance is the scenarios involved in cloud computing.