WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS NOT AN EXAMPLE OF PII

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS NOT AN EXAMPLE OF PII

1. EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
2. YOUR BROWSING HISTORY FOR A HOTEL LOBBY COMPUTER WHICH DOESNT VERIFY YOUR IDENTITY OR ROOM NUMBER
3. WEBSITES COOKIES PLACED ON YOUR LAPTOP
4. GOVT IDENTIFIER SUCH AS TAX ID

The correct answer and explanation is :

The correct answer is Option 2: Your browsing history for a hotel lobby computer which doesn’t verify your identity or room number.

Explanation:

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) refers to any information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate an individual. The primary concern with PII is that it can expose personal details that may be used for identity theft or fraud if disclosed without proper security measures.

Let’s break down each option:

1. Education and Employment History:

• This is considered PII because it contains detailed personal information that could be used to identify you, such as your school, job positions, and dates of employment. This kind of information could be linked to a specific person in certain situations, particularly in the context of a job application or background check.

1. Your Browsing History for a Hotel Lobby Computer:

• This is not PII if the browsing history is not tied to your personal identity. Since the history is from a hotel lobby computer that doesn’t verify your identity or room number, it is just a series of websites visited by an anonymous user. Without additional data (such as login credentials or personal information), this cannot be used to directly identify or contact an individual. While browsing history can be linked to individuals when tracked with user accounts or personal identifiers, on a public computer, the lack of verification and identification means it’s not PII.

1. Website Cookies Placed on Your Laptop:

• Cookies are PII when they track personal preferences, user behavior, or login credentials. Cookies often store identifiers like browsing habits and user credentials, which can be used to track individuals or access accounts. When this data is associated with a particular user, it becomes identifiable, making it personal information.

1. Government Identifier such as Tax ID:

• A government identifier such as a tax ID (like a Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number) is classic PII because it is a unique identifier specifically tied to an individual or entity. It can be used to track or access a person’s financial, tax, or other personal data, making it one of the most sensitive forms of PII.

Thus, while browsing history can be personal, in the scenario described (an unverified hotel lobby computer), it does not qualify as PII because no identifiable data is associated with it.