Glossary · Security

PII

Personally Identifiable Information

In plain language

Any detail that can identify a specific person, such as a name with an address, a birth date or a social insurance number.

The metaphor

Like the information on the front of a person's wallet card: alone it may be harmless, together it identifies them.

Going deeper

How it works

Names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, ID numbers and photos all count in the right combination.
The more of it you hold, the more careful you need to be.
Keep only what you need and delete it when you no longer do.
Limit who can open it and lock devices that carry it.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A four-person bookkeeping office kept scanned client IDs in an email inbox for years. When a mailbox was compromised, every client's identity details were in the attacker's hands.

How WILDCARD handles it

Policies and records that cover personal information are vCIO outputs. Managed Compliance is the quote-only card for ongoing compliance work and shows as coming soon.

In practice

A clinic stores patient details in one controlled system instead of email.
A firm deletes scanned IDs once a file closes.
A shop collects only the contact details it truly needs.

A question owners ask

Is a customer's email address personal information?

Yes, when it identifies a person. Treat it with care.

Where WILDCARD handles this

Managed
Compliance

Coming soon

✨

vCIO

Fractional CIO on retainer
Moonlight, Sunlight, Starlight tiers
Credits for single outputs

Start with vCIO

Related terms

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