SPI (Special Personal Information) refers to highly sensitive categories of personal data that require stronger protection under privacy laws. Examples include health records, racial or ethnic origin, biometric identifiers, political beliefs, religious views, sexual orientation, and trade union membership. SPI is often referred to as “sensitive personal data” in global privacy frameworks.

Legal and Compliance Significance

Under regulations like the GDPR, LGPD, POPIA, and HIPAA, processing SPI is restricted and typically requires explicit, informed consent from individuals. Organizations must justify the legal basis for processing and implement additional security measures. Unauthorized access or breaches involving SPI can lead to severe penalties and reputational damage. For example, GDPR Article 9 strictly regulates SPI processing, allowing it only under specific conditions such as vital interest, legal obligation, or explicit consent.

How to Manage and Protect SPI

Proper SPI data privacy practices include:

• Data classification to identify and label SPI accurately

• Explicit consent mechanisms for lawful processing

• Access controls to limit who can view or process SPI

• Encryption and anonymization to safeguard data at rest and in transit

• Data minimization to avoid over-collection

Organizations must also maintain detailed records and conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) when handling SPI at scale. Proper SPI data governance not only ensures legal compliance but also demonstrates ethical data stewardship.