PII (Personally Identifiable Information)

Definition

PII is information that identifies a specific individual, either directly or in combination with other data: names, identification numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, bank card numbers, IP addresses, physical addresses. In a document workflow, PII matters because a file shared or published with PII in it exposes that person, and because many jurisdictions require it to be handled under specific rules.

Example

An invoice that carries a customer’s full name, tax identification number, and home address. Sent as-is, every person who sees the invoice — a courier, an accountant, a storage clerk — receives that bundle of identity. Detecting the PII and redacting it before the invoice is used as a supporting document leaves only what the recipient needs.

In the PDFLean tools

• PDF PII Detection — finds entities such as emails, national IDs, and phone numbers, with per-page attribution
• redact PII from a PDF — the automated removal pass that follows detection

Related reading

• Redaction — the difference between removing content and covering it up
• PDF Metadata — the second location where PII often hides
• Prepare a Filing for Public Disclosure — the full scenario for a document going public