Data Types
Regulated
: Data governed by laws (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) that mandates its protection.
Example
: Personal health records or financial transactions.
Trade Secret
: Proprietary information that provides a competitive edge; it’s not publicly known and is protected by law.
Example
: Product formulas, business strategies.
Intellectual Property
: Legally protected creations, including inventions, trademarks, and copyrights.
Example
: Patented technology, software code.
Legal Information
: Data related to legal proceedings, contracts, or compliance obligations.
Example
: Court documents, legal memos.
Financial Information
: Data about financial transactions or assets, often sensitive and regulated.
Example
: Bank account details, financial statements.
Human/Non-Human Readable
:
Human-readable
: Easily understood by people (e.g., text).
Non-human readable
: Requires machines to interpret (e.g., binary code, encrypted data).
Secret and Classified
: Data that is protected due to national security or organizational importance, with access restricted by clearance levels.
Example
: Military strategies, intelligence reports.
Data Classification
Sensitive
: Data that, if disclosed, could harm individuals or organizations.
Example
: Personal Identifiable Information (PII).
Confidential
: Restricted data intended for internal use only, shared on a need-to-know basis.
Example
: Employee records, contracts.
Public
: Data intended for public consumption, with no restriction on access.
Example
: Marketing materials, press releases.
Restricted
: Highly controlled data with limited access to minimize risk.
Example
: Internal reports with proprietary information.
Private
: Personal data of individuals, often regulated to protect privacy.
Example
: Social Security numbers, medical records.
Critical
: Data essential to business or national security operations, requiring the highest protection.
Example
: Infrastructure blueprints, disaster recovery plans.