Safeguarding Yours and Others' PII

Volume 6, No. 1

Have you given much thought to yours and others PII? If not, NOW IS THE TIME to get serious about protecting Personally Identifiable Information! That’s right--yours and others’ PII. Protecting personally identifiable information is everyones’ responsibility, and below are critical points to consider and practice.

1.  Personally identifiable information (PII) is any data about an individual that could  potentially identify that person, such as a name, fingerprints or other biometric data, email address, street address, telephone number, social security number or personal financial information.

2.  Harms to an individual resulting from an information breach involving PII may include identity theft, embarrassment, or blackmail; organizational harms may include a loss of public trust, legal liability, or remediation costs.

3.  What steps should you take to protect personally identifiable information?

  • All paper documents or files, as well as CDs, floppy disks, zip drives, flash drives, tapes, and backups containing personally identifiable information should be stored in a locked file cabinet.
  • Files containing personally identifiable information should be kept in locked file cabinets except when an employee is working on the file; employees should not leave sensitive papers out on their desks when they are away from their workstations.
  • At the end of the day, employees should put files away, log off of their computers, and lock their file cabinets and office doors.

Should you wish to discuss more details about protecting yours and others’ PII, please contact the Help Desk and ask to speak with an Information Systems and Services administrator.

*This Issue’s PII Term
Term:  De-identified Information
Definition:  Records that have had enough PII removed or obscured such that the remaining information does not identify an individual and there is no reasonable basis to believe that the information can be used to identify an individual.
Example in a sentence:  Before forwarding the student’s record, the Registrar confirmed the files contained only de-identified information.
Source: http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-122/sp800-122.pdf

If you have questions or need assistance, please call the Help Desk at (805) 493-3698 or send e-mail to helpdesk@callutheran.edu Additional information is available at the Computer Training Website; in addition, an archive of previous Tech Bytes issues is located at http://www.callutheran.edu/iss/training/tech_bytes/

More

  • Electronics Expo January 14 at Thousand Oaks Campus
    January 7, 2016

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  • Update the iOS on your iPad to Access the Blackboard Mobile Learn App
    June 11, 2012

    Update the iOS on your iPad to Access the Blackboard Mobile Learn App

    Blackboard’s Mobile Learn application on the iPad is a great resource to study on the go, but you’ll need to first update your iPad’s operating system to use the application.

    (Click title above to read the complete article.)

  • Blackboard Mobile Learn App
    May 18, 2012

    Blackboard Mobile Learn App

    • Stay actively involved in your Blackboard course while you are away from the computer.
    • Download the Blackboard Mobile Learn app and view your CLU Blackboard course on your iPad, iPhone, or Android device.
    • Easily view course documents, discussion boards (post a thread or even respond to your classmates), journals, class roster, and more!
    • Visit the link below to learn more:

    If you have questions or need assistance, please call the Help Desk at (805) 493-3698 or send e-mail to helpdesk@callutheran.edu.

    (Click title above to read the complete article.)

  • Become a Mobile Maven
    April 27, 2012

    Ever need Cal Lutheran information (such as the online People Directory), but unable to get to your desktop computer? If so, check out the CLUMobileWeb<http://m.callutheran.edu/about/> site and investigate our mobile resources; get essential CLU information & services anytime, anywhere on your mobile device. (Click title above to read the complete article.)

  • Tips on Safeguarding Your Computer
    April 13, 2012

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    The Fact:    If your computer contracts a virus, you could face days or weeks without it--and even face losing your data.

    The Remedy:   Take the following three steps to help safeguard your computer against contracting a virus: (Click title above to read the complete article.)


  • When Mobile Devices Should Not be Mobile
    March 23, 2012

    Mobile devices continue to have a positive effect on promoting connectivity and allowing access to data at all--or almost all--times; however, with convenience comes responsibility. This is where each one of us can help increase security and enhance loss prevention here at Cal Lutheran. Please take a few minutes to think about the computers and electronic and digital devices you use and how you can assure they are not so mobile; i.e., how to keep them secure. Consider the following tips:(Click title above to read the complete article.)

  • Digital Archive Houses CLU Publications
    March 13, 2012

    The Pearson Library recently announced the launch of a new, free-to-the-public digital archive featuring back issues of The Echo (student newspaper) and Campanile and Kairos (college yearbooks).  Currently the archive includes:

    • all fifteen volumes of Campanile (1962-1976);
    • twenty-two volumes of Kairos (1977-1999); and
    • thirty-six volumes of The Echo.

    Back issues of our award-winning literary magazine, Morning Glory, will also be added to the e-collection. (Click title above to read the complete article.)

  • Video Helps Bridge the Gap
    February 28, 2012

    Digital media can help bridge the gap between learner and content by building new connections for delivering information. Here at Cal Lutheran a recent initiative is gaining momentum through the Computer Training department; the initiative supports faculty and staff who wish to deploy video technology to enhance content delivery. Here are some examples of how video can support the mission of the Universtiy: (Click title above to read the complete article.)

  • The Care and Feeding of Your PII
    February 10, 2012

    Protecting personally identifiable information (PII) is a big challenge when that information is in digital format.  A few simple steps will take you a long way to securing PII used in your job. (Click the title above to read the complete article.)

  • Safeguarding Yours and Others' PII
    January 27, 2012

    Have you given much thought to yours and others PII? If not, NOW IS THE TIME to get serious about protecting Personally Identifiable Information! That’s right--yours and others’ PII. Protecting personally identifiable information is everyones’ responsibility, and below are critical points to consider and practice. (Click the title above to read the complete article.)

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