What Is Personal Business Information?
As an owner of a business as a business owner, you are responsible for dealing with the personal details of both your staff and customers. You are required by law to protect the data and ensure it is used properly. It isn’t always clear what constitutes personal data.
It is crucial to understand that the definition of personal information varies by legal jurisdiction and country. In general, personal information is any information that can be used to identify an individual. This could include information such as the email address of a person or telephone number, however it includes any other information that can be linked to an individual, thereby making them identifiable. For example the date of birth or maiden name of their mother biometric data, information about visas and passports and credit card information, and other sensitive data regarding employment (e.g. performance ratings and discipline records).
The information must be able to be identified by others. If it is difficult for other people to identify the information, it isn’t considered to be personal. This is called the “practicability test”.
The final way to determine whether something is personal is whether it concerns a living person. This excludes business information, like invoices or orders.
Personal information that is sensitive to the public can be extremely harmful if stolen, lost or disclosed without authorization. It is important to train employees on the importance of safeguarding sensitive PII. It is also essential to make sure to protect the information when it is not being used, such as logging off of unattended computer systems and destroying paper documents. It is vital to periodically review the PII in your system and to limit access only to those with the business need to do this.
www.bizinfoportal.co.uk/2021/04/01/maximizing-your-business-information-portal/