Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Personal Health Information (PHI) is private information that can be used to distinguish or identify an individual. The PII the government collects must be relevant, accurate, timely, and complete (per Privacy Act of 1974). PII is normally stored in records that only individuals with need-to-know may access the records. PHI concerns records of an individual's physical or mental health. PHI includes any individually identifiable health information such as the medical history or medical billing information that was either created or received by a covered entity. Covered entities include health plans and almost all health care providers engaged in electronic billing and eligibility verification transactions. PHI is a subset of PII that requires additional safeguards. PHI is individually identifiable health information created or received by a covered entity, relating to the: 1) past, present, or future physical or mental health of an individual, 2) provision of health care to an individual, or 3) past, present, or future payment for provision of health care to an individual. Covered entities, whom are authorized to handle PHI, include health plans and health care providers. In the case of DoD, the TRICARE program is a covered entity health plan. Military Treatment Facilities are also healthcare provider covered entities. DoD 6025.18-R, DoD Health Information Privacy Regulation, contains detailed information on DoD Components that are and are not considered covered entities and obligations of non-covered entity DoD Components when they act as business associates of DoD covered entity components. When PHI is shared with a non-covered entity, it is no longer PHI and it is converted to PII. DoDI 8580.02, Security of Individually Identifiable Health Information in DoD Health Care Programs, defines exceptions and situations that are not considered covered entities.
DL1.14. Personal Information. Information about an individual that identifies, links, relates, or is unique to, or describes him or her, e.g., a social security number; age; military rank; civilian grade; marital status; race; salary; home/office phone numbers; other demographic, biometric, personnel, medical, and financial information, etc. Such information is also known as personally identifiable information (i.e., information which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as their name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, biometric records, including any other personal information which is linked or linkable to a specified individual).
E2.2. Personal Information. Information about an individual that identifies, links, relates, or is unique to, or describes him or her (e.g., a social security number; age; military rank; civilian grade; marital status; race; salary; home or office phone numbers; other demographic, biometric, personnel, medical, and financial information, etc). Such information also is known as personally identifiable information (e.g., information which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as his or her name; social security number; date and place of birth; mother’s maiden name; and biometric records, including any other personal information which is linked or linkable to a specified individual.
Regulations which apply to the administrative, physical, and technological controls pertaining to PII include: Privacy Act of 1974, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules (45 CFR Parts 160 and 164), and Health Insurance Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH). The Privacy Act of 1974 requires establishment of rules of conduct and safeguards for PII and requires the US Government to maintain accurate, relevant, timely and complete information. The FOIA keeps the public informed while protecting government interests and protects access to records exempt under the Privacy Act. The HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules 1) establish national standards for PHI use and disclosure and individual rights and 2) establishes national standards for administrative, physical, and technical PHI safeguards. HIGHTECH establishes breach notification standards for PHI, expands HIPAA security requirements to business associates of covered entities, and expands penalties for HIPAA violations.
Risks associated with the misuse or improper disclosure of PII include:
- Legal liability of the organization
- Theft of the identity of the subject of the PII
- Expense to the organization
- Damage to the subject of the PII's reputation
- Inconvenience to the subject of the PII
- Loss of trust in the organization
Administrative, physical, and technical safeguards at the organizational level include:
Administrative safeguards include:
- Restricting access to PII to people with need-to-know.
- Reduce the volume and use of SSNs. Find alternative identification methods such as a CAC EDIPI.
- Train individuals (orientation, specialized, management, training on systems of records containing PII). Ensure individuals can determine authorized access and need-to-know and limit access accordingly. Make sure use of PII matches the SORN.
- Establish and follow policies and procedures for handling PII, specifically - defining the impact to affected individuals, actions, assigned agency roles and responsibilities, and consequences associated with losing or misusing PII.
- Conduct risk assessments (Privacy Impact Assessment, or PIA) before collecting any PII to assess the level of risk to the individual or organization in collecting or maintaining PII. A PIA is conducted before an organization processes PII to ensure it meets legal, regulatory, and policy requirements and determines the risks of collecting, using, maintaining, and disseminating PII on electronic information systems. A PIA is required when an organization collects PII from: an existing information system or electronic collection for which no PIA was previously completed or new information systems or electronic collections 1) before development or purchase, and 2) when converting paper records to electronic systems. A PIA is not required when the information system or electronic collection: does not collect, maintain, or disseminate PII, is a National Security System (NSS), including one that processes classified information, or is solely paper-based.
- Review and report on PII holdings (System of Records Notice, or SORN) annually in the Federal Register and report status to Congress. SORNs include a list of PII collected, system safeguards, purpose of collection, and access/correction processes.
- Individuals should: monitor and minimize the use of SSNs, determine authorized access adn need-to-know, determine if PII is necessary, ensure PII matches what is published in the SORN, be aware of the surrounding environment when engaging in a conversation involving PII, determine and ensure PII is correct (obtain directly from the subject, verify information is accurate, relevant, timely, and necessary, ensure any other information comes from an authorized, accurate source such as Government sources).
Physical safeguards include:
- Properly storing records in accordance with agency policy and procedures.
- Employ access controls.
- Secure hardware by locking in a secure room.
- Establish policies and procedures for handling, transmitting, and disposing of paper and electronics (must comply with National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA, for records management requires for retention and disposal).
- Test safeguards to ensure they are operating as intended.
- Mark as CUI.
- When transporting or transmitting PII, use cover sheet, the appropriate postal class, and wrapping.
- Protect PII during working and non-working hours.
- Follow NARA's Record Management guidelines for record retention and disposal (render destroyed PII unrecognizable and beyond reconstruction via shredding or incineration).
- Test safeguards.
Technical controls include:
- Encrypting records in accordance with agency policies and procedures.
- Provide secure systems for storing and transmitting electronic records which include: encryption, remote access controls, time-out functionality, and logging and verifying access.
- Ensure implementation of role-based access controls for the workforce.
- Ensure workforce members understand their responsibilities for safeguarding electronic records.
- Use only government-approved devices and software.
- Use appropriate encryption.
- Use access controls to limit access on shared drives to individuals with need-to-know.
- Following agency policies and procedures for transmission of PII (i.e. confirming email or fax receipt, encrypting email, verification of need-to-know on mailing lists).
- Follow rules for telework: use of appropriate/approved systems to process PII, obtain approval from manager before extracting PII to another computer, never transmit PII via personal email.
Administrative, physical, and technical safeguards at the individual level include:
Administrative safeguards include at the individual level:
- Monitor and minimize the use of SSNs. Use DoD ID numbers wherever possible for internal DoD business processes.
- Determine authorized access and need-to-know (e.g. verify user credentials/authority) and limit access accordingly.
- Ask yourself:
- Is using PII necessary? Consider whether a task can be completed without PII. If the task cannot be completed without PII; if it cannot be completed without using or disclosing PII do not use or disclose more PII than is the minimum amount necessary to support the use or disclosure.
- Make sure the use of PII matches the purpose of collection in the SORN. Do not use information that was previously collected in a system of records for a new use before altering the existing SORN or creating a new one and publishing it in the Federal Register. Do not even use a subset of existing PII for a new purpose, and do not maintain data collections in secret.
- Is it safe to talk about this PII? Be aware of the surrounding environment when engaging in conversation involving PII. Ensure that telephone conversations are private.
- Do you have the right information, and is it correct? If possible, collect information directly from the subject of the PII; this will guarantee you have the most up-to-date information. Verify the data is accurate, relevant, timely, and necessary. Ensure that other information comes from the authorized official source, such as government sources.
Physical safeguards at the individual level include:
- Mark PII as CUI.
- Use cover sheets, postal class, or wrapping when transporting.
- Reduce the risk of access to PII during business hours by covering or placing it out of sight when not directly working on it. Lock your computer when leaving it unintended. Store PII appropriately after working hours (e.g. locked or unlocked containers, desks, or cabinets. Dispose of all paper or electronic records according to the standards defined in the SORN or by NARA. You must render discarded PII unrecognizable and beyond reconstruction.
Technical safeguards at the individual level include:
- Use government-approved devices and software. This safeguards PII because the government has determined these devices and software provide adequate protection.
- Make sure you are encrypting PII appropriately.
- Use access controls to limit access to PII on shared drives to individuals.
- Follow agency policies and procedures for transmitting PII, such as confirming fax receipt, encrypting emails, verifying email distribution lists contain only authorized individuals.
- Follow rules for telework including using only a government-furnished computer, getting approval from a manager before extracting PII onto that computer, and must never transmit PII via personal email.
A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is a risk assessment that must be completed before an organization begins gathering PII. A PIA analyzes how an organization handles information to ensure it satisfies requirements and determines the risks of collecting, using, maintaining, and disseminating PII on electronic information systems. DoD Form 2930, Privacy Impact Assessment, June 2017 is used. A PIA is required when an organization collects PIA from:
- Existing information systems and electronic collections for which no PIA was previously completed.
- New information systems or electronic collections:
- Before development or purchase
- When converting paper records to electronic systems.
A PAI is not required when the information system or electronic collection:- Does not collect, maintain, or disseminate PII.
- Is a National Security System, including ones that process classified information.
- Is solely paper-based.
A PIA:
- Analyzes how organization handles information to ensure it satisfies legal, regulatory, and policy requirements.
- Determines the risks of collecting, using, maintaining, and disseminating PII on electronic information systems.
- Aims to mitigate unauthorized use or disclosure risks.
If an organization determines that it must collect and maintain PII that will be retrieved by a personal identifier within that systems, a System of Records Notice (SORN) must be published in the Federal Register. A System of Records is a group of records under an organization or agency's control from which personal information about an individual retrieved using the individual's name or some other unique identifier. A SORN notifies the public that an agency will collect and retrieve PII in a system of records. It must be published before PII is collected. SORNs include: the legal authority to collect the PII, the type of PII that will be collected, the safeguards in place to protect the PII, how individuals can determine if they are part of that system, and how they can obtain a copy of their record if they are a part of that system.
All of the safeguards and best practices that apply to PII also apply to PHI but PHI receives greater protection. The HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules require covered entities to have in place appropriate administrative (e.g. access restrictions), technical (e.g. encryption), and physical (e.g. proper physical records storage) safeguards to protect PHI. Based on its risk analysis and risk management plan, each covered entity can establish its own specific administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. They do this by evaluating their needs, the types of PHI involved, and specific business risks. For DoD covered entity Components, individual implementation is subject to DoD's implementation of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. Covered entities must train workforce members on the policies and procedures that apply to PHI. Other than required disclosures of an individual's PHI to that individual or use and disclosure of PHI for treatment of an individual, covered entities must limit permitted uses and disclosures of PHI to the minimum necessary to accomplish the purpose of that use of disclosure. Non-covered entities that are business associates of covered entities also have responsibilities to safeguard PHI. They must make sure their workforce members are able to recognize PHI and understand that HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules provide additional protection and controls for PHI beyond what is required for PII.
DoD 6025.18-R, "DoD Health Information Privacy Regulation." JAN 2003, implements the HIPAA Privacy Rule within DoD and its Components and defines permitted uses and disclosures of PHI. DoD 8580.02-R, "DoD Health Information Security Regulation," 12 JUL 2007 implements the HIPAA Security Rule within DoD and its Components and defines administrative, physical, and technical safeguards for electronic PHI.
DoD 8580.02-R, DoD Health Information Security Regulation, contains requirements for electronic PHI risk analyses and requires organizations to:
- Assess potential risks and vulnerabilities to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all electronic PHI they create, receive, store, or transmit.
- Conduct a risk analysis that includes: threat assessment, exploitable vulnerabilities, and residual risk determination.
- Consider both organizational and technical assessments that address all security areas.
- Consider all losses to be expected if security measures were not in place, including losses caused by unauthorized use and disclosure, as well as losses of data integrity or accuracy.
Authorized use and disclosure of PII:
The Privacy Act limits the rights of an agency to disclose PII to any person or other agency . The Disclosure Rule: No disclosure of a record in a system of records unless:
- the request is made in a written request for whom the record pertains or that individual has given prior consent.
- disclosure is made under one of the Privacy Act's 12 permitted disclosures, including routine use as defined in the SORN. Routine use is the purpose for which the government collected it (as defined in the SORN).
The 12 exceptions to the Privacy Act that permit disclosure of PII to another person or agency:
- To officers and employees of the agency maintaining the record who have a need for the PII in their performance of duties
- When the FOIA requires release
- For a "routine use" identified in the SORN that has been published in the Federal Register. The Privacy Act defines "routine use" as disclosure of a record for the purpose compatible with the purpose for which the government collected it. The SORN identifies routine uses and disclosures of the system's records.
- To the Census Bureau for the purposes of conducting a census or survey
- For statistical research or reporting without individually identifying data
- to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
- To a law enforcement agency for a civil or criminal investigation
- When there are compelling or emergency circumstances affecting someone's health or safety
- To Congress, including its committees or subcommittees
- To the Government Accountability Office and Comptroller General
- Pursuant to a court order
- To a consumer reporting agency
A breach occurs when an individual or organization improperly uses or discloses PII. PII is lost, stolen, compromised or used outside of parties with need-to-now or as part of routine use. OMB M-17-12 requires agencies to establish a breach notification policy and plan. If a breach occurs, the head of the organization must notify the proper individuals and provide this information:
- What happened, the date of the breach, and how it was discovered.
- Types of personal information involved.
- Whether the information was encrypted or otherwise protected.
- Steps taken to protect the affected individuals from harm.
- Agency investigation and remediation actions.
- Point of contact for affected individuals.
Within the DoD, per DoD 5400.11-R, the organization must report the discovery of a breach within:
- one hour to US-CERT
- 24 hours to Component Privacy Office
- 48 hours to the Defense Privacy and Civil Liberties, and Transparency Division
After discovering a potential breach of PII, an individual should:
- immediately notify the appropriate authority: Supervisor, Privacy Officer, or System Manager. In some cases, your manager may have to notify DoD and national authorities, as well as those individuals whose personal data was compromised.
- Document when and where the potential breach was found: record the URL for PII on the Internet.
- If the breach includes PHI, a simultaneous, independent report is required.
Authorized use and disclosure of PHI. A covered entity may use or disclose PHI:
A covered entity may use of disclose PHI:
A breach of PHI is defined as the acquisition, access, use, disclosure of PHI in a manner not permitted under the HIPAA Privacy Rule that compromises the security or privacy of PHI.
For a breach of PHI affecting fewer than 500 individuals, covered entities must:
- Notify individuals whose PHI may have been breached within 60 days of the incident.
- Report all such breaches to the Secretary of the Health and Human Services (HHS) annually.
For PHI breaches affecting 500 or more individuals, covered entities must, within 60 days of the incident:
- Notify individuals whose PHI may have been breached.
- Notify the Secretary of HHS.
- Notify prominent media outlets serving the State or jurisdiction where affected individuals reside, usually by issuing a press release.
In the event of a breach of PHI, individuals working at a covered entity must:
- Report lost, stolen, or compromised PHI to the organization's designated official which describes the information compromised and when and where the discovery occurred.
If organizations and individuals do not comply with the laws for safeguarding PII and PHI, they are are subject to civil penalties for not protecting PII and PHI. Individuals are subject to criminal penalties for PII and potentially civil penalties for PHI.
Organizations can incur civil penalties for:
- unlawfully refusing to remove a record.
- unlawfully refusing access to a record.
- Failing to maintain accurate, relevant, timely, and complete information.
- Failing to comply with any Privacy Act provision or agency rule that adversely affects the subject of the record.
- Failing to comply with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules.
Penalties for failing to protect PII include damages and reasonable attorney fees. Penalties for failing to protect PHI include fines dependent on the nature and extent of harm caused.
Criminal penalties can be incurred by any official or employee who:
- Knowingly discloses PII from a system of records to an unauthorized person.
- Failing to publish SORN in Federal Register for a system of records.
Criminal penalties for individuals failing to comply with regulations to protect PII include: misdemeanor conviction and fine up to $5,000. Individuals who knowingly or wrongfully obtain or disclose PHI are subject to the following criminal penalties: Up to one year in prison and fine up to $50,000. For offenses committed under false pretenses or for commercial purposes (such as selling PHI or using PHI for personal gain or malicious harm), criminal penalties: up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.
Individuals can incur civil penalties for failing to comply with the requirements and standards of the HIPAA rules. The HITECH Act increased the fines in 2009. Four tiers of penalties are defined for failure to protect PHI, depending on the severity: Tier A, Tier B, Tier C, and Tier D:
- Tier A. Violations in which the offender did not realize he or she violated the act (and by exercising reasonable diligence would not have known): $100 to $50,000 for each occurrence.
- Tier B. Violations due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect: $1,000 to $5000 for each occurrence.
- Tier C. Violations due to willful neglect that the organization did not correct within 30 days of when the violation was discovered (or should have been discovered): $10,000 to $50,000 per violation.
- Tier D. Violations due to willful neglect that the organization did not correct: $50,000 to $1.5M for identical violations occurring within a calendar year.
Consequences of PII Loss to Individuals:
- Identity theft
- Fraud (e.g. credit card)
- Other criminal acts
- Damage reputation
- Embarrassment
- Inconvenience
Consequences of PII Loss to Organizations
- Loss of trust
- Legal liability
- Remediation costs (e.g. providing credit monitoring services to individuals affected by the lost or misused PII). DoD cost due to OMB breach in 2015 was $132M.
Examples of PII:
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Driver's License Number
- Fingerprint
REFERENCES:
- Identifying and Safeguarding PII Course
- DoD 6025.18-R, "DoD Health Information Privacy Regulation," JAN 2003. Implements the HIPAA Privacy Rule within the DoD and its Components. Sets out permitted uses and disclosures of PHI.
- DoDI 8580.02, "Security of Individually Identifiable Health Information in DoD Health Care Programs," August 12, 2015. Implements the HIPAA Security Rule within DoD and its Components. Defines administrative, physical, and technical safeguards for electronic PHI.
- DoD 8580.02-R, "DoD Health Information Security Regulation," 12 JUL 2007.
- DoD 5400.11-R, "Department of Defense Privacy Program," 14 MAY 2007. Regulation governing DoD Privacy Program.
- DoDD 5400.11, "DoD Privacy and Civil Liberties Program," 29 January 2019, Change 1 December 8, 2020. Defines DoD Privacy Program.
- http://www.doncio.navy.mil/contentView.aspx?id=2428
- Army Course: WNSF - Personally Identifiable Information (PII) v2.0
- E-Government Act of 2002. Improves interaction and communication between public and private sectors. Amended by FISMA.
- Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) of 2014. Identifies Federal information security controls.
- OMB Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002. Guides implementation for protecting information.
- OMB Memorandum M-17-12, Preparing for and Responding to a Breach of Personally Identifiable Information. Identifies Federal information security controls.
- OMB Memorandum 07-16, Safeguarding Against and Responding to the Breach of Personally Identifiable Information (check if this has been superseded by M-17-12)
- ISO 29134 (Guidelines for Privacy Impact Assessment, June 2017)
