Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information - it's your duty! Published April 22, 2009 By 87th Communications Squadron Base Records office JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST -- A large number of Air Force offices on base handle personal information; therefore, it is imperative that all personnel understand what constitutes Personally Identifiable Information and how the sensitive information is to be handled. What is PII? PII is defined as information that directly identifies an individual. Examples include names, addresses, social security numbers, age, telephone numbers, medical/financial information or e-mail addresses. It is vital to protect this information because when a record containing personal information is lost, stolen or compromised and used in criminal activities, the personal impact on the affected individual can be severe. "Everyone has a chance of becoming a victim. The monetary and emotional cost of repairing an individual's identity can be extensive -- requiring years to recover," said Karen Leden, 87th Communications Squadron base Privacy Act manager. "Everyone must be diligent in protecting and properly safeguarding and destroying PII information." How should you protect PII information? First, do not leave items such as performance reports, recall rosters or alpha rosters in an area that could result in their loss or theft. Additionally, once you are done with this type of information and need to dispose of it, do not just throw it in the trash. Make sure you shred it and destroy it beyond reconstruction. Finally, the Air Force has mandated that all "For Official Use Only" and PII information sent over e-mail be encrypted and carry the Privacy Act statement. If you discover any disclosures of PII data, report it immediately through your supervisor and chain of command and contact the Base Privacy Act manager. Additionally, lost, stolen or possible compromised PII must be reported to U.S. CERT (http://www.us-cert.gov/) within one hour of the discovery. An investigation will be initiated and those who are found guilty of causing the breach could be charged with criminal and civil penalties. Air Mobility Command has sponsored PII as a Special Interest Item from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2009, to ensure all personnel are aware and trained on the handling and protecting of PII. For any questions or if your unit is in need of this training, contact the Base Privacy Act managers, Karen Leden or Staff Sgt. Covanis Benjamin at (609) 754-3445.