Personal data (also called personally identifiable information, or PII) is any information that can be used, alone or in combination with other data, to identify a specific individual. Under GDPR and similar privacy laws, personal data is subject to strict handling requirements.
Categories of Personal Data
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Basic identity | Name, date of birth, national ID number |
| Contact | Email address, phone number, postal address |
| Online identifiers | IP address, cookie IDs, device fingerprints, usernames |
| Location | GPS coordinates, home city, workplace |
| Financial | Bank account, credit card, income |
| Sensitive (special category) | Health, race, religion, political views, biometrics |
| Behavioral | Browsing history, purchase history, app usage |
Is Your IP Address Personal Data?
Under GDPR, yes. Your IP address is considered personal data because it can be used to identify you (via your ISP) even if it does not directly reveal your name. Websites collecting IP addresses must disclose this in their privacy policy.
How to Protect Your Personal Data
- Use a VPN to hide your IP address from websites
- Minimize what you share on social media
- Use email aliases (SimpleLogin, Fastmail) instead of your real email
- Check data broker profiles and opt out where possible
- Use our Privacy Scan to see what data is publicly associated with your information
People Also Ask
- What are 5 examples of personal data?
- Name, email address, IP address, date of birth, and phone number. All five can uniquely identify an individual and are therefore personal data under GDPR.
- What are the three types of personal data?
- 1. Directly identifying data (name, ID number). 2. Indirectly identifying data (IP address, cookie ID). 3. Sensitive data requiring extra protection (health, race, religion).
Related: Fingerprinting | Privacy Scan | Data breaches