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Personally Identifiable Information

What is Personally Identifiable Information?

Any information that can be used to identify, contact, or locate a specific individual, either alone or when combined with other data.

Privacy and Data Protection

Each of these is named in at least one of the same controls as personally identifiable information. The number is how many controls name both.

What the standards actually require on personally identifiable information

Requirements naming personally identifiable information across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

Specific Categories of Personally Identifiable Information. Apply [organization-defined] for specific categories of personally identifiable information

NIST800-PT-7 · Specific Categories of Personally Identifiable Information. Apply [organization-defined] for specific categories of personally identifiable information

Prevents real personal data being handed to suppliers and developers for testing, training or research.

161R1-PM-25 · Minimization of Personally Identifiable Information Used in Testing, Training, and Research
ISO 27701:20196 controls

Top management must demonstrate the leadership and commitment ISO/IEC 27001 requires, with every reference to information security read as covering privacy risk arising from the processing of personally identifiable information.

iso-27701-2019::5.3.1 · Leadership and commitment

An operator that collects personally identifiable information about Delaware residents through a commercial internet service must make its privacy policy conspicuously available (e.g., via a link containing the word privacy on the homepage or first significant...

DE-DOPPA-1205C-POST · Conspicuous posting of a privacy policy

Describes how actors interact in the processing of personally identifiable information

29100-4.2 · Interactions between actors

34 CFR 99.1 applicability + 99.3 definitions. APPLICABILITY: FERPA applies to any educational agency or institution receiving funds from any program administered by the Secretary of Education (including all US K-12 + nearly all postsecondary institutions accep...

FERPA-Part99.1_3 · Applicability and Definitions (34 CFR 99.1, 99.3)

Questions people ask about personally identifiable information

What is Personally Identifiable Information?
Any information that can be used to identify, contact, or locate a specific individual, either alone or when combined with other data.
Why is Personally Identifiable Information important for compliance?
Personally Identifiable Information is a key concept in Privacy and Data Protection. Understanding personally identifiable information helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Personally Identifiable Information?
Personally Identifiable Information appears in the requirement text of NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, NIST SP 800-161 Rev 1, ISO 27701:2019, Delaware Online Privacy and Protection Act (proposed), ISO/IEC 29100:2024. Across these standards we have identified 27 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Personally Identifiable Information?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how personally identifiable information applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 686 frameworks.

See how Personally Identifiable Information applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.