Personal Identifiable Information

Personal identifiable information (PII) is specific category of particularly sensitive data. It uniquely identifies a single individual. If the personal information does not identify just one individual then it’s not considered sensitive. The university as well as employees and students are bound by university policy and state and federal laws and university policy to protect PII stored or transmitted on any type of media – electronic, paper, and verbal.

The state of Indiana has recently enacted data protection and disclosure laws, specifying certain data as sensitive "personal information". Indiana's notification law reads:

Sec. 3. (a) As used in this chapter, "personal information" means:
A. An individual's: 
    1. First name and last name; or 
    2. First initial and last name; and

B. At least one (1) of the following data elements: 
    1. Social Security number 
    2. Driver's license number or identification card number 
    3. Account number, credit card number, debit card number, security code, access code, or password of an individual's financial account

If you have access to someone's personal identifiable information it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY as well as the unversity's to protect the information and can be held accountable by the university and the state of Indiana if you breach the information.