Personally identifiable information, or PII, is any data that could potentially be used to identify a particular person. Examples include a full name, Social Security number, driver’s license number, bank account number, passport number, and email address. PII is referred to in the context of data breaches and identity theft. If a company or organisation suffers a data breach, a significant concern is what PII might be exposed – the personal data of the customers that do business or otherwise interact with the entity. Exposed PII can be sold on the dark web and used to commit identity theft, putting breach victims at risk.

See also: Pseudonymous data