information privacy
Although privacy is often viewed as a legal or IT issue, records and information management also has an intrinsic responsibility to control the management of and access to personal information.
Regardless of the location, size, or type, as businesses collect increasing amounts of personally identifiable information, the protection of this information has become one of the largest--and most important--organizational challenges. Consequently, the more personal information that is gathered, the more stringent the measures that must be undertaken to protect that information.
What is Privacy?
According to the U.S. Dept. of Justice, privacy is defined as an individual(s) interests in preventing the inappropriate collection, use, and release of personally identifiable information. Privacy interests include privacy of personal behavior, privacy of personal communications, and privacy of personal data.
Other definitions of privacy include the capacity to be physically alone (solitude); to be free from physical interference, threat, or unwanted touching (assault, battery); or to avoid being seen or overheard in particular contexts.
What Is Personally Identifiable Information?
Personally identifiable information (PII) is one or more pieces of information that when considered together or when considered in the context of how it is presented or how it is gathered is sufficient to specify a unique individual. The pieces of information can be personal characteristics, a unique set of numbers or characters assigned to a specific individual, descriptions of events or points in time, and descriptions of locations or places.
For additional and more in-depth information on information privacy, please see the following links:
