Below you’ll find a list of made up PII examples to help you better understand what PII looks like in the real world.
You’ll also find a downloadable file attached to each point with specified (fake) PII examples you can then use to test your discovery solution. Enjoy.
PII includes, but is not limited to:
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- Names: Full name, First name, last name, maiden name, mother’s maiden name, or alias.
- Names: Full name, First name, last name, maiden name, mother’s maiden name, or alias.
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- Personal identification numbers: Social security number (SSN), passport number, driver’s license number, taxpayer identification number, patient identification number, financial account number, or credit card number.
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- Personal address information: Street address, or email address.
- Personal address information: Street address, or email address.
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- Personal telephone numbers: Telephone number.
- Personal telephone numbers: Telephone number.
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- Personal characteristics: Photographic images (particularly of the face or other identifying characteristics), fingerprints, or handwriting.
- Personal characteristics: Photographic images (particularly of the face or other identifying characteristics), fingerprints, or handwriting.
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- Information identifying personally owned property: VIN number or title number.
- Information identifying personally owned property: VIN number or title number.
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- Asset information: Internet Protocol (IP) or Media Access Control (MAC) addresses that consistently link to a particular person.
- Asset information: Internet Protocol (IP) or Media Access Control (MAC) addresses that consistently link to a particular person.
Examples of Non-PII
Although this list includes the main direct forms of PII, it’s important to remember that other “regular” pieces of information can become PII when combined together. Two prominent examples of this can be seen in financial information and health-related information.
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- Financial information: data about the monetary transactions of a person or business, i.e., bank account numbers, fiscal income data, payments, money transfers, etc.
- Financial information: data about the monetary transactions of a person or business, i.e., bank account numbers, fiscal income data, payments, money transfers, etc.
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- Health-related information: data related to a person’s medical history, including symptoms, diagnoses, procedures, and outcomes.
- Health-related information: data related to a person’s medical history, including symptoms, diagnoses, procedures, and outcomes.
To find out more about why this information is not yet considered PII, as well as how it can become PII, check out our deep-dive article on the subject: PII Examples For Dummies.
Real-World Application
And that’s all there is to it! Now, armed with this information, you can better recognize PII anywhere you go.
Plus, all of the applicable examples provided in each bullet point, as well as other helpful forms of PII, can be downloaded in their entirety here: pii-examples.zip. You can then implement these examples in your own discovery solution and see just how good it really is.
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