The gathering of personally identifiable information (PII) refers to the collection of public and private personal data that can be used to identify individuals for various purposes, both legal and illegal. PII gathering is often seen as a privacy threat by data owners, while entities such as technology companies, governments, and organizations utilize this data to analyze consumer behavior, political preferences, and personal interests.
With advances in information technology, access to and sharing of PII have become easier. Smartphones and social media have significantly contributed to the widespread collection of personal data, making it a pervasive and controversial issue.[1]
Recent cases of illegal PII collection, such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal involving the data of over 87 million Facebook users, have heightened concerns about privacy violation and increased demands for stronger data protection laws. Major breaches at companies like Equifax, Target, Yahoo, Home Depot, and the United States Office of Personnel Management have compromised the personal and financial data of millions of Americans, leading to calls for improved information security and PII protection.[2]