What general principle describes PII?

The general principle that describes Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is that it encompasses any data that can identify an individual. This definition is broad and includes a variety of information such as names, social security numbers, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and even certain characteristics or attributes of a person. Essentially, if the information can be used on its own or in combination with other data to identify an individual, it falls under the category of PII.

Recognizing this expansive definition is crucial, especially in the digital advertising context, where understanding how data is collected, used, and protected is essential for compliance with privacy regulations and maintaining consumer trust.

The other options misunderstand the scope of PII. For example, suggesting that only data collected online is considered PII ignores significant offline data that can still identify individuals. Likewise, stating that PII must be publicly available information is misleading, as PII can also include private data that is not available to the public. Limiting PII to just email addresses and phone numbers overlooks the broader range of identifiers that fall under this category, thereby misrepresenting what constitutes PII in various contexts.