Personal Identifiable Information

Personal Identifiable Information is any information that can be used to identify, contact, or locate a person.

The information can be used by criminals for identity theft, planning robberies, stalking etc.

The most common items are:

• Full name
• National identification number, National Insurance number (UK)
• Telephone number
• Street address
• E-mail address
• Vehicle/car registration  number
• Driver's license number
• Face, fingerprints, or handwriting

But you should also be aware that other information like:

• First school
• Mothers Maiden Name
• Pets Name
• Town of Birth
• Year of \Birth
• University attended
• First Job
• Fathers Job
• Spouses name
• Names of Children
• etc

Are often used in security questions when filling in online forms and can provide very useful information to criminals.

The more information someone has about you then the easier it is to create a unique combination that can only be you. With the growth of online data services and search facilities finding you may be just a click away.

Related Articles and resources:

• Why you should Keep your Email Account Details Private
• Using a Public Computer on The Internet
• Search Engine watch article-Private Searches Versus Personally Identifiable Searches