CCPA Personal Information Categories: A Comprehensive Guide

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is a comprehensive data protection law that aims to protect the personal information of California residents. One of the key aspects of the CCPA is the categorization of personal information. In this article, we will explore the various categories of personal information under the CCPA.

According to the CCPA, personal information is defined as any information that identifies, relates to, or could be reasonably linked to a particular individual. This includes, but is not limited to, names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and IP addresses.

There are several categories of personal information under the CCPA, including:

• Identifiers: This category includes information that can be used to identify a particular individual, such as names, addresses, and phone numbers.
• Personal information: This category includes information that is not publicly available and is not used for commercial purposes, such as social security numbers, driver's license numbers, and passport numbers.
• Protected information: This category includes information that is protected by law, such as financial information, medical information, and education records.
• Commercial information: This category includes information that is used for commercial purposes, such as purchase history, browsing history, and search history.
• Biometric information: This category includes information that is used to identify a particular individual, such as fingerprints, facial recognition data, and voiceprints.
• Internet or other electronic network activity: This category includes information that is generated when a person uses the internet or other electronic networks, such as IP addresses, browser history, and search history.
• Geolocation data: This category includes information that is used to track a person's location, such as GPS data and location data from mobile devices.
• Audio, video, or other sensory information: This category includes information that is generated when a person uses audio or video devices, such as voice recordings and video recordings.
• Professional or employment-related information: This category includes information that is used to identify a person's profession or employment status, such as job titles, work experience, and education.
• Education records: This category includes information that is used to identify a person's education records, such as grades, test scores, and academic records.
• Health information: This category includes information that is used to identify a person's health status, such as medical records, health insurance information, and prescription information.
• Financial information: This category includes information that is used to identify a person's financial status, such as bank account information, credit card information, and financial transaction history.

In conclusion, the CCPA categorizes personal information into several categories, including identifiers, personal information, protected information, commercial information, biometric information, internet or other electronic network activity, geolocation data, audio, video, or other sensory information, professional or employment-related information, education records, health information, and financial information. It is essential for businesses to understand these categories and take steps to protect the personal information of their customers and employees.