I know there are lots of definitions of privacy-related information out there (PII and PHI are two big ones) but I would like to provide a quick taxonomy (mostly for my own purposes). I think of three different types of information that affect privacy:
1) Identity information (who I am) - general information about who a person is as well as demographic information (address, phone number, etc.). This type of information is necessary to disclose in various ways and can be used for activities like identity fraud.
2) Identifying characteristics (more about me) - information that provides insight into the person that is generally unknown. Included here is fnancial information, health information, and other sensitive information.
3) Identifying activities (what I do) - actions that provide insight into the person. For example, the clubs someone frequents, online activities, etc.
Humans leak this personal information all the time. From a biometrics perspective, we do it without knowing it (check out CSI for details). In our personal activities, we provide insight into who we are. Everything around us - our garbage, the color of our house, the music coming out the window - all tell something about who we are.
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