One of the most common data classifications. A person's name, address, Social Security number, phone number, email address, or any other number or code that can be used to directly identify a person is considered PII. Along with other types of information, such as gender, race, date of birth, and location, PII is data that an organization can use to identify specific people. PII also includes any contact details that can be used to locate a person physically or online. In order to safeguard PII against unauthorized access, use, deletion, alterations, or other data breaches, organizations may be legally required by regional or national laws to maintain specific security controls.