Personal Information
Definition
Any information that identifies, relates to, describes, or could reasonably be linked to a particular person or household. This includes obvious identifiers like names and email addresses, but also less obvious data like browsing history, purchase records, geolocation data, and device identifiers.
Legal Definition
Under the CCPA/CPRA (Cal. Civ. Code 1798.140(v)): "information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household." The definition explicitly includes real names, aliases, postal addresses, unique personal identifiers, online identifiers, IP addresses, email addresses, account names, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, passport numbers, and similar identifiers.
State Laws Using This Term
Practical Example
A retail website collects a customer's name, email address, shipping address, and browsing history. All of this qualifies as personal information because it can be linked back to a specific individual.
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an IP address considered personal information?
Yes. Under the CCPA and most state privacy laws, IP addresses are considered personal information because they can be used to identify a particular consumer or device.
Does personal information include publicly available data?
It depends on the law. The CCPA generally excludes publicly available information from the definition, meaning data lawfully made available from government records. However, the exclusion is narrow and does not cover information that has been combined with non-public data.