Which of the following describes Personally Identifiable Information (PII)?

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is defined as any information that can be used to identify an individual. This includes, but is not limited to, names, social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. The key characteristic of PII is that it directly links to a specific person, allowing that individual to be distinguished from others.

The choice that highlights information linked to an individual user accurately reflects the nature of PII, emphasizing its role in identifying specific persons. It is crucial in contexts like data privacy and security, as organizations must take precautions to protect such information due to the risks associated with its exposure or misuse.

In contrast, other choices describe data types or characteristics that do not fit the definition of PII. For instance, data that is publicly available does not qualify as PII because it does not provide identifiable information linked to an individual. Similarly, information that cannot be traced back to an individual lacks the essential quality of PII, as the very point of PII is its traceability to specific individuals. Lastly, data stored in an encrypted format may contain PII, but the act of encryption itself does not define PII; it's the nature of the information that determines if it is PII.