Understanding Confidential vs. Sensitive Information

Confidential and sensitive information may seem like the same thing, but there are subtle differences between these two concepts. It is important to understand how to differentiate between them to make sure your sensitive and confidential information stays protected.

How Confidential Information Differs From Sensitive Information

To understand the differences between the two, let’s look at a few examples. Dave has recently been diagnosed with HIV/Aids. His medical diagnosis would be classified as sensitive information because, if the wrong people get hold of this information in the workplace, they may treat Dave differently. Sensitive information is usually personal information but can also include salary information or information that could cause trouble in the workplace if leaked. Sensitive information can take various forms, such as photographs, documents, audio, or even video recordings.

As a separate example, Delicious Chicken is known for its tasty concoction of chicken spices—their trade secret and the reason for their success. This would be classified as confidential information as it is often only available to executives and people of authority in a business context. This kind of information can also take on various forms but is more often than not documents such as financial statements, minutes of meetings, reports, and so on. Confidential information does not have the personal element that sensitive information has.