In today’s digital age, a tidal wave of information travels across networks from user to user and device to device. Organizations rely on collecting and storing sensitive and personal information to perform business-critical operations, such as collecting credit card payments, performing banking transactions and tracking packages.
And, of course, with data collection comes the need for data regulation to protect sensitive and personal data from leakage, theft or misuse. While it is great for customers to know their data is in safe hands, organizations that deal with growing amounts of data often struggle to keep pace with evolving regulations.
The primary categories of protected data are personal data and sensitive data. Though they might sound similar, these data types are categorized differently under regulations, which impacts how they should be protected.
With so many legal terms and regulations in place, individuals and organizations need to stay attuned to the differences between the two types of data to protect the security and privacy of the business and customers. Let’s define these different categories of data and why they are important for data security, privacy and compliance.
What is personal and sensitive data?
Personal data is defined by the General Data Protection Regulation as any information that is “related to an identified or identifiable natural person.” Any information that can identify a person, directly or indirectly, should be considered personal data. This includes name, address, phone number, email address and date of birth, as well as information related to work, education and hobbies.
Sensitive data requires a higher level of protection due to its potential harm if exposed. It includes highly confidential information that, if mishandled, could cause significant damage. This includes data that a maliciou ..
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