Identifiable
Suspicious calls to share private information

Personal information is that information
that should make it possible to identify an
individual, meaning the individual is
identifiable or identified. However, it is
possible that the information is not directly
identifiable, but can also be indirect such
as a dynamic Internet Protocol address.
Dynamic IP address are not fixed but have
attributes that allow for indirect identification
such as the user billing information 18 .

To improve your chances of winning a house valued at $300,000
please provide the following personal information.
Name

Address

Telephone number

Race

Date of Birth

Sex

Sexual orientation

Marital status

National Identity Number

Blood type

Internet Protocol Address

Do you have a disability?

Bank

Bank Account

Relates to

• information about a person’s health care history, including
a physical or mental disability: example an individual’s
medical records at Parirenyatwa Hospital or with your
local medical health provider, or with Health Worker.
• information about educational, financial, criminal or
employment history: records kept at the University or
High School; records kept at your bank; records of
employment with your trade union or employer
• opinions expressed about an identifiable person;
statements that disclose identity of a person.
• the individual’s personal views or opinions, except if they
are about someone else
• personal correspondence pertaining to home and family
life: communication of any kind of a personal nature,
written or electronic

The information might be personal
information but if it doesn’t relate to a data
subject then it is not protected personal
information. ‘Relates to’ is subjective and
contextual. Therefore, data controllers must
take into account factors such as the
purpose of collected information; the content
of the information among other factors.
Purposes of data collection might make information personal
information for a different controller but not for others.

WHAT IS SENSITIVE
DATA?
There is a category of personal information that is considered
sensitive or sensitive data or sensitive personal information.
This data refers to information of specific type or class whose
disclosure can lead to specific targeted harms against the
data subject.

The definition of personal information in Act is different from
that in the FOIA, in that the FOIA appears to cover more
areas of personal information, and also defines personal
information not to include information about an individual
who has been dead for more than 20 years.
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M I S A

Z I M B A B W E

•

G U I D E

T O

T H E

Z I M B A B W E A N

C Y B E R

Benedik v. Slovenia, 2018, §§ 107-108.

A N D

D A T A

P R O T E C T I O N

A C T

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