Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Research Paper - 1

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) - Research Paper Example Information in the modern society is becoming easily available to many people. The internet in specific is one of the main sources through, which many people are obtaining information concerning other persons. Some of the search engines of the internet such as Google can provide important details of a person if well used. Therefore, the private sector as well as public sector should ensure that vital information of people is protected from being accessed by an unauthorized persons. In addition to search engines, social networks are playing a critical role in disclosing personal information, which can be used to for illegal acts. Thus, because of this, various governments and law making agencies have imposed various Acts and Laws in order to enhance Protecting Personal Information (PPI). The legal and federal agencies have a mandate to protect sensitive information of people from unauthorized access. The Privacy Act (1974) was the first legislation created to oversee that personal information is safeguarded. The Act was established amidst rising concerns on the impact of computer databases on the private rights of individuals. The Act details how, what, or when the information is to be disclosed. The State, Federal and Local agencies shall collect information to help them conducting their businesses but should properly protect the data from the unauthorized intrusion. The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) in partnership with ‘National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)’ established Special Publication (SP) 800-122, which protects the PII existing in databases. ‘The National Institute of Standards and Technology’ proposes that agencies should establish safeguards to ensure proper handling of the information. In this regard therefore, organizations should enforce the following; creation of policies and procedures for PPI, conducting appropriate training of employees to reduce the