Data Types Subject to Regulations and Laws
Short answer
AE PHI PII
Question
Key Takeaways
The exam tests knowledge of regulatory frameworks like HIPAA and GDPR. The common trap is confusing regulated personal data with business-protected intellectual property.
This question identifies which data categories are legally protected, distinguishing between sensitive personal information and proprietary assets. The correct answer focuses on data types explicitly governed by privacy legislation.
Common mistake: Learners often select Trade Secrets or Proprietary data because these are valuable to businesses. However, while companies protect them internally, they are not subject to the same specific government privacy mandates as personal health or identity data.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
PHI (Protected Health Information) and PII (Personally Identifiable Information) are the primary targets of global data protection laws such as HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA. These regulations mandate strict controls over how this data is collected, stored, and shared to protect individual rights. Because they involve direct identification or sensitive health status of individuals, they carry legal penalties for non-compliance that do not apply to other data types.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Trade secrets and proprietary data are protected primarily through civil law, contracts, and internal security policies rather than specific federal or international privacy statutes. While important, a company's decision to keep a formula secret does not make it subject to government regulation in the same way PII is. OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) consists of publicly available information, which by definition is not subject to privacy restrictions since the data owner has already made it public.
Community Comment Notes
The community consensus strongly supports AE, noting that PHI and PII are the only options heavily regulated by laws like HIPAA. One commenter emphasized that all other options could potentially be sold or licensed, whereas PII and PHI are restricted from such commercial exploitation due to privacy concerns. Another user highlighted that these two categories are unique in their sensitivity regarding individual privacy.
Exam Strategy
When asked about 'regulations and laws' in Security+, think immediately of privacy laws (HIPAA, GDPR). If an option involves personal identity or health records, it is likely regulated. If it involves business assets or public info, it is likely not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why aren't trade secrets regulated by law?
What is the difference between PHI and PII?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer AE. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 3 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 3
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Hs1208 👍 3AE: PHI and PII are types of data that are commonly subject to specific regulations and laws due to the sensitivity of the information and the need to protect individuals' privacy and health-related data.
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salah112 👍 2The types of data most likely to be subject to regulations and laws are: A. PHI (Protected Health Information): PHI is sensitive health-related information and is subject to strict privacy regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the United States. E. PII (Personally Identifiable Information): PII includes any information that can be used to identify an individual, such as names, addresses, social security numbers, or financial information. PII is often protected by data privacy laws and regulations.
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LayinCable 👍 2Everything on here is either public/open source information or could be sold or licensed. The ONLY two that are not either of those is PII and PHI, which are both heavily regulated and under many laws.
Reader comments & corrections
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