Personal data

Information relating to an identified or identifiable individual, such as names, contact details, identifiers or health information, often protected by data protection laws.

Example

Patient appointment records held by a healthcare software company.

Important

Holding sensitive personal data raises security, legal and contractual obligations.

Related terms

• Penetration test — An authorised, simulated attack on a system carried out to find security weaknesses before real attackers do.

Lessons that explain it

• A breach can cost a young company its customers, not just its data — Security diligence checks how a company protects systems and customer data, what incidents it has had, and whether it meets the obligations its customers and regulators expect. (10 min)

All 578 terms in the Investing glossary