Personal Data

Key facts about personal data

• Definition: Information that identifies or can identify an individual
• Examples: Names, email addresses, IP addresses, and location data
• Key regulation: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Includes: Both direct and indirect identifiers
• Special category data: Certain sensitive information requiring additional safeguards
• Applies to: Data collected by websites, applications, services, and organizations

What is personal data?

Personal data refers to any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.

An individual can be identified directly through information such as their name or identification number, or indirectly through identifiers that can be linked to them.

Many privacy regulations use the concept of personal data as the foundation for determining how information must be handled.

For example, under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), organizations that collect or process personal data must follow rules governing transparency, lawful processing, and individual rights.

Personal data meaning

Personal data includes information that can identify an individual either on its own or when combined with other data.

Examples of personal data may include:

• full name
• email address
• phone number
• home address
• IP address
• device identifiers
• online account information
• photos or biometric data

Even information that does not directly identify a person may still be considered personal data if it can be combined with other data to identify someone.

Examples of personal data

Personal data appears in many everyday digital and administrative contexts.

Examples include:

Because personal data can appear in many systems, organizations often need processes for managing how this information is handled.

Special categories of personal data

Some privacy regulations define special categories of personal data, which require additional safeguards due to their sensitive nature.

These may include:

• racial or ethnic origin
• political opinions
• religious or philosophical beliefs
• trade union membership
• genetic data
• biometric data used for identification
• health information
• information related to sexual orientation

These categories are often subject to stricter rules when collected or processed.

Anonymized vs pseudonymized data

Privacy regulations distinguish between anonymized and pseudonymized data.

Pseudonymized data is still considered personal data because the possibility of re-identification exists.

Processing personal data

Privacy laws often define processing broadly to include many types of activities involving personal data.

Examples of processing include:

• collecting personal information
• storing or organizing data
• analyzing or using personal information
• sharing data with third parties
• deleting or destroying records

Organizations that process personal data typically need policies and safeguards to manage these activities responsibly.

Personal data and privacy rights

Many privacy regulations give individuals rights related to their personal data.

These rights may include:

• requesting access to personal information
• requesting corrections or updates
• requesting deletion of data
• limiting certain types of processing

These rights are often exercised through mechanisms such as Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs).

Personal data and data protection

Because personal data can reveal information about individuals, many regulations require organizations to protect it using technical and organizational safeguards.

Examples of safeguards may include:

• encryption
• access controls
• secure storage systems
• policies governing data use

These safeguards form part of broader data protection and data privacy practices.

Related privacy terms

• Data privacy
• Data protection
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Data Subject Access Request (DSAR)
• Consent Management Platform (CMP)