‘Personal data’ refers to any information related to an identified or identifiable natural person.
A natural person means personal data is from or related to a living person. This information can be objective or subjective. This information can differentiate one individual from another and says something about them.
Personal data can be objective or subjective:
This information is factual and can be verified. It does not involve opinions, feelings, or personal judgments.
Example:
Name: John Doe
Date of Birth: August 15, 2005
Grade Level: 11th Grade
GPA: 3.8
Attendance Record: 96% present
These are factual pieces of information that can be confirmed through school records.
This refers to opinions, feelings, or personal perspectives. It is based on how someone feels or thinks, not on measurable facts.
Example:
Favorite Subject: “I love literature because it allows me to express myself creatively.”
Self-Assessment: “I think I’m a great team leader in group projects.”
Career Goals: “I hope to become a psychologist because I enjoy helping others understand themselves.”
Learning Style: “I learn best through visual aids and hands-on activities.”
These reflect personal opinions, preferences, or beliefs that may vary from person to person.
Directly identifiable personal data includes information such as name, address or photographs/video recordings of faces, for which little to no effort and no additional information are required to determine to whom the data belong. These types of data are what we most commonly relate to as personal data. However, it is important to be aware that personal data can also be indirectly identifiable.
Indirectly identifiable data require more effort as well as additional information to determine whom the data belongs to. Indirectly identifiable personal data include genetic information, data that are unique to an individual, datasets with extreme or unusual values (e.g., extreme physical measurements unique to elite athletes, highly unique employment history) or any other characteristics about a person (e.g., ethnicity, gender, occupation and/or education) that, when combined into one record, can single out that person as unique in your dataset. Indirectly identifiable data may not immediately identify an individual, but they do provide the potential for identification of that individual