Every day, sometimes without even realizing it, you share information about yourself with people, businesses, organizations or governments. Your name, your address, your phone number, your purchasing habits: all this information about you is out there and circulating every day. But what information counts as personal information?
This article in short:Personal information is information that makes it possible for someone to be identified, directly or indirectly. Some information may not seem important on its own but can become personal information when combined with other information. Understanding what counts as personal information is a first step to better understanding when you may be asked to share it and what organizations must do when they collect it. |
Your information, your identity
Personal information is information that makes it possible to identify you as a person. When one piece of personal information is associated with others, such as information about your preferences, health or political opinions, it can reveal a lot about you. Since personal information can reveal many things about you, the law regulates how it’s collected and used.
Knowing how to spot personal information is the first step to better protecting your privacy.
How to spot personal information
Your information is personal. This is the case, for example, when it concerns your social or family situation, your health, your finances or your work.
Here are some examples of personal information that makes it possible to identify you:
The 4 main categories of personal information
Identity:
- Your name
- Your date of birth
- Your gender (man, woman, other)
Contact information:
- Your phone number
- Your personal email address
- Your address
Education and work history:
- Your education level
- Your training
- Your job
Private matters:
- Your political opinions
- Your medical records
- Your religious beliefs
For more examples of personal information, visit the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s website.
Personal information doesn’t always include your name
Even information that doesn’t mention your name can be considered personal information for legal purposes. This is the case when it makes it possible to identify you when combined with other information.
For example, your age, your postal code, and the places you go to regularly could be enough to reveal your identity.
Some digital information can also be considered personal information:
- an IP address,
- an account number,
- geolocation data,
- some customer codes.
When it allows a person to be identified directly or indirectly, this information may be protected as personal information.
Sensitive information
Some personal information is considered sensitive because it’s closely linked to your private life. For example:
- your medical records (appointments, medical history, blood tests, etc.),
- your biometric information (fingerprints, voice signature, DNA, etc.).
This information is sensitive information. You must therefore be careful before sharing it.
Your information in everyday life
Personal information isn’t only shared on paper forms or documents.
You share it regularly in many situations that come up in daily life:
- when you start a new job and your employer asks for your social insurance number,
- when you provide you name, credit card number and mailing address to receive a product ordered online,
- when you provide your information to get a government financial benefit,
- when you use certain apps or online services.
What isn’t personal information
To be considered personal information, the information must make it possible to identify a person, directly or indirectly.
This means that an anonymous statistic stating that “25% of the residents of a city use public transport” isn’t personal information.
Similarly, data that’s been truly anonymized no longer allow a person to be identified.