Personally Identifiable Information (PII) has numerous official definitions, depending on what agency or state law/policy you read, but in general, it is defined as any information that can be used to identify an individual directly or indirectly, such as a name, email address, Social Security Number or .
Sensitive PII (SPII) is generally defined as any PII that if lost, stolen, or disclosed without authorization, could result in significant harm to an individual.
Federal agencies and States each have unique privacy protection laws concerning the protection of PII (see U.S. State Comprehensive Privacy Law Comparison). In most cases, additional protections such as end-to-end encryption are required for what is considered sensitive PII.
Protected Health Information (PHI) is a specific type of Sensitive PII that is collected by a healthcare provider or other covered entity for the provision of healthcare services. This information is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which requires HIPAA-covered entities and their business associates to implement specific technical and operational safeguards to protect PHI.
Identification
The PII, SPII, and PHI identification charts below were compiled from information gathered from the Department of Homeland Security's Handbook for Safeguarding Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Email
Home Address
Name
Phone Number
Any other information that can uniquely identify someone
Sensitive PII (SPII)
Stand-Alone
Alien registration number
Biometric identifiers
Credit card number
Driver's license or state ID number
Financial account number
Passport number
Social Security number (SSN)
Any PII Combined With the Following
Account passwords
Citizenship or immigration status
Criminal history
Date of Birth (DOB)
Last 4 digits of the SSN
Mother's maiden name
Ethnic or religious affiliation
Medical information
Personal financial information
Sexual orientation
Any other information which, if lost, compromised, or disclosed without authorization, could result in substantial harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or unfairness to an individual
Protected Health Information (PHI)
Health Information (physical, electronic, or spoken) + Identifier + collected by a HIPAA-Covered Entity or School or University or Employer or Business Associate of a HIPAA-Covered Entity + in relation to the provision of healthcare or payment for healthcare services.
Health Information
Allergies
Medications
Family medical history
Health histories
Health records
Lab test results
Medical bills
Past, present, and future health conditions or physical/mental health
Prognosis
Treatment/Rehabilitation plans
X-rays
Any other information about a person's health
Identifiers
Account numbers
Biometric identifiers (retinal scan, fingerprints)
Certificate/license numbers
Dates, except the year
Device identifiers and serial numbers
Email addresses
Fax numbers
Geographic data
Full-face photos and comparable images
Internet protocol addresses
Health plan beneficiary numbers
Medical record numbers
Names
Social Security numbers
Telephone numbers
Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers, including license plates
Web URL
Any unique identifying number or code
HIPAA-Covered Entities
Most health care providers: Doctors, Clinics, Psychologists, Dentists, Chiropractors, Nursing homes, Pharmacies
Health insurance companies
HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations)
Employer-sponsored health plans
Government programs that pay for health care, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and military and veterans' health programs
Clearinghouses: organizations that process nonstandard health information to conform to standards for data content or format, or vice versa, on behalf of other organizations
Business Associates of HIPAA-Covered Entities
Data analysis, storage, and transmission services
Legal and accounting services
Billing and benefit management services
Actuarial and claims processing services
Any other businesses that perform activities that require them to have access to patient health information to provide services for or on behalf of health industry entities