Protecting Personal Business Information

Personal business is the term used to describe the tasks or activities that are managed by a company, a person or an an individual on their own. Examples include managing finances, doing household chores, or making appointments. It can also refer to the creation and management of an individual business based on your talents, interests and experience as a sole proprietor or individual.

Although privacy laws for data vary across states and countries Most have similar definitions of what is considered personal information. Personal data is defined in the CCPA the Connecticut law and other laws as any information that can be reasonably linked to an identifiable individual, except for data that has been de-identified or data that is available to the public. In addition the CCPA includes a category of sensitive personal data that requires a greater degree of protection than other forms of data.

It is important to know how much information is kept in your organization and where it’s stored. The best method to accomplish this is to conduct an inventory of all files, documents, folders and storage devices. This includes official website file cabinets, desktops and laptops along with mobile devices, flash drives, disks, and digital copiers. Don’t forget to be aware of places where sensitive information could be stored outside of your office, such as employees’ homes, their work-from-home computers and other devices.

PII that is sensitive should be encrypted during transport and when at rest, and only kept as long as it is required for business purposes. This includes biometrics, medical data that is covered by the Health Insurance Accountability and Portability Act(HIPAA), unique identification codes such as passports or Social Security Numbers and employee records for personnel.