There’s a lot personal information that your business collects as part of running a small business. Some of the information may be classified as sensitive, and is a category of data that receives extra protection under the privacy law. The laws vary from country to country, and so do the types of data that are considered to be personal.

Different privacy laws define sensitive data in different ways However, it is usually things like genetic information like racial and ethnic origin sexual orientation, gender identity and religious beliefs. It may also include the person’s social security number or home address, as well as a phone number, or other data that could be used to identify them in a way. It can even include biometric information, like fingerprints or electronic signatures.

The laws that govern personal information will vary by region and industry, but it’s essential for companies to know what types of information they are legally bound to protect. Many of these laws require you to define your policies and have employees accept them as a condition of doing business with you.

It is a good idea to conduct an inventory of the personal information that your business holds. This will help ensure that you’re in compliance. This means more than looking over the files in your cabinets, and scouring for information this post stored on laptops, mobile devices, flash drives, home computers or digital copiers. You will be surprised at how much personal information that your company has.