Here are the definitions to be considered for the application of this procedure, which may be supplemented by any other regulations, policies, directives, or procedures referencing them:
Confidentiality Incident: Unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of personal information as prohibited by law, as well as its loss or any other form of breach of its protection.
Here are some examples:
- Unauthorized access to a computer system by a hacker.
- Unauthorized use of personal information from a database by a person in the course of their duties for identity theft.
- Accidental communication of sensitive information to the wrong person.
- Loss or theft of documents containing personal information.
- Unauthorized intrusion into a database containing personal information for the purpose of altering it.
Personal Information: Any information concerning an individual that allows for their identification. A person's name, in isolation, is not considered personal information. However, when this name is associated or linked with another piece of information pertaining to the same individual, it then becomes personal information.
Here are some examples of personal information:
- A person's name and date of birth.
- Social security number.
- Credit card number.
- Health insurance number.
- Medical or financial information.
- A person's name and their personal phone number.
- A person's name and their home address.
Sensitive Personal Information: Personal information is considered sensitive when, by its nature, especially when it's medical, biometric, or otherwise intimate, or due to the context of its use or disclosure, it gives rise to a high degree of reasonable privacy expectations.
This may include, for example, medical, biometric, genetic, or financial information, as well as information about ethnic origin, political beliefs, life or sexual orientation, or religious convictions.