Personally Identifiable Information
UNDERSTANDING OUR RESPONSIBILITY REGARDING PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION
IFSM 201
JULY 22, 2012
Abstract
Anyone who uses computer technology today accepts the fact that their Personally Identifiable Information (PII) may or could be transmitted, collected, and used to benefit the one who receives that information. It is our responsibility to know what PII transmissions are being made available for public use over the web. Understanding all the aspects of PII and the approaches that are to be taken to protect our privacy will make us more aware of PII. As we continue to utilize the technology available, we expose ourselves to become donors of PII. Having knowledge of what PII is and how information is being compiled to identify our interest is necessary when accessing computer technology of today.
Understanding Our Responsibility Regarding Personally Identifiable Information
There are all kinds of companies, agencies, and groups that collect information about us every time we logon or access a website. This gathering of information happens in the background without our even being made aware of that action. When seeking to identify a definition for the word privacy, there is no single meaning for the word because it is relative to the individual. Whenever someone engages in the use of a computer to communicate with another or connect to other communication devices, they introduce an opportunity of releasing private or PII. As a consumer, we need to be aware of what materials about our existence are available to the public and to individuals who may seek to do us harm in terms of identity theft. How we choose to control the release of these materials and those that we choose not to release, is a measure of the privacy we assign to that concern (Allison, Capretz, Yamany, & Wang, 2012). Having a good understanding of what PII is and how to recognize the methods of obtaining PII is the first step to taking responsibility for our own protection. It’s a
IFSM 201
JULY 22, 2012
Abstract
Anyone who uses computer technology today accepts the fact that their Personally Identifiable Information (PII) may or could be transmitted, collected, and used to benefit the one who receives that information. It is our responsibility to know what PII transmissions are being made available for public use over the web. Understanding all the aspects of PII and the approaches that are to be taken to protect our privacy will make us more aware of PII. As we continue to utilize the technology available, we expose ourselves to become donors of PII. Having knowledge of what PII is and how information is being compiled to identify our interest is necessary when accessing computer technology of today.
Understanding Our Responsibility Regarding Personally Identifiable Information
There are all kinds of companies, agencies, and groups that collect information about us every time we logon or access a website. This gathering of information happens in the background without our even being made aware of that action. When seeking to identify a definition for the word privacy, there is no single meaning for the word because it is relative to the individual. Whenever someone engages in the use of a computer to communicate with another or connect to other communication devices, they introduce an opportunity of releasing private or PII. As a consumer, we need to be aware of what materials about our existence are available to the public and to individuals who may seek to do us harm in terms of identity theft. How we choose to control the release of these materials and those that we choose not to release, is a measure of the privacy we assign to that concern (Allison, Capretz, Yamany, & Wang, 2012). Having a good understanding of what PII is and how to recognize the methods of obtaining PII is the first step to taking responsibility for our own protection. It’s a
References: Allison, D., Capretz, M., Wang, S., & El Yamany, H. (2012). Privacy Protection Framework with Defined Policies for. Journal of Software Engineering and Applications, (5), 200-215. Poritz, J. (2007). Who Searches the Searchers? Community Privacy in the Age of Monolithic Search Engines. The Information Society, 23(5), 383-389 U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2011). Handbook for Safeguarding Sensitive PII at DHS (). In . (Ed.). -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. Privacy has largely been equated with every individual’s right to privacy, and the concern is personally identifiable information, or PII. [ 2 ]. The loss of someone’s business card that has information about that individual does not present a concern for privacy. The security of sensitive information would not be included on the business card. [ 3 ]. To understand more about how DHS operates and governs the use of PII, visit the DHS website at http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm [ 4 ]. Risk of harm refers to possibility that an individual may experience a substantial harm, embarrassment, unfairness or inconvenience to someone on whom information is filed.