§ 4051 Definitions, 10 L.P.R.A. § 4051 — PII Definition

(a) Personal information file. Refers to a file containing at least the name or first initial and the surname of a person, together with any of the following data so that an association may be established between certain information with another and in which the information is legible enough so that in order to access it there is no need to use a special cryptographic code.

(1) Social security number.

(2) Driver's license number, voter's identification or other official identification.

(3) Bank or financial account numbers of any type with or without passwords or access code that may have been assigned.

(4) Names of users and passwords or access codes to public or private information systems.

(5) Medical information protected by the HIPAA.

(6) Tax information.

(7) Work-related evaluations.

Neither the mailing nor the residential address is included in the protected information or information that is a public document and that is available to the citizens in general.

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(a) Archivo de información personal.-Se refiere a un expediente que contenga al menos el nombre o primera inicial y el apellido paterno de una persona, combinado con cualquiera de los siguientes datos de tal manera que se puedan asociar los unos con los otros y en el que la información sea legible sin necesidad de usar para acceder a ella una clave criptográfica especial:

(1) Número de Seguro Social.

(2) Número de licencia de conducir, tarjeta electoral u otra identificación oficial.

(3) Números de cuentas bancarias o financieras de cualquier tipo, con o sin las claves de acceso que puedan habérsele asignado.

(4) Nombres de usuario y claves de acceso a sistemas informáticos públicos o privados.

(5) Información médica protegida por la Ley HIPAA.

(6) Información contributiva.

(7) Evaluaciones laborales.

No se incluye dentro de la información protegida la dirección postal o residencial ni información que sea documento público y esté disponible para la ciudadanía en general.

Uploading an Acceptable Document

Once the Document has had all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) removed and it is in a PDF format, the person uploading the document should complete the fields about the corresponding institution in the Graduate Institutions section of the online application, click “Browse” to choose the corresponding file, and click “Upload.” The transcript will be saved with the institution record when the applicant clicks “Add and Save Institution.”

Once a file is uploaded, we recommend that you open the file to verify that the file you uploaded is the correct file and that it is readable.

Note: The finished file cannot be larger than 10 MB. If it is larger than 10 MB, Adobe® Acrobat® Pro and most copy centers will be able to reduce the file size.

Scanning a Paper Document

If you do not have a PDF copy of your transcript, you will need to redact the printed copy (see Removing PII from a Paper Document), scan all pages of your transcript and then save them as a single PDF document.

Be sure to scan all the front pages and at least one of the back sides of a page. The transcript PDF does not have to be a color copy. If an applicant does not have a personal scanner or need assistance formatting the file, the applicant should consider visiting a copy center to get all pages into a single file (one file per transcript), no larger than 10 MB per file, and to ensure that the transcript is clear and legible.

Removing PII from a Paper Document

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) may be redacted/removed in one of two ways:

• To remove PII before scanning the document, we recommend the use of size 4mm white-out tape to cover all Social Security Number and/or date of birth on all the transcripts pages. The use of markers, pends, or pencils is not recommended to mark out PII because the information will often show through after the document has been scanned.

OR

• After scanning the transcript (or if it is already in PDF format), the applicant may use different software packages such as Adobe Acrobat Pro to remove or redact information. (See Removing PII from a PDF Document for instructions on how to electronically redact a document using Adobe Acrobat Pro.)

Converting an Electronic Document to PDF

The program used to save the electronic version of the transcript may provide a tool to convert/print document as a PDF.

If the transcript is in a non-PDF electronic format that does not directly support conversion to PDF, the transcript may be printed, redacted, and scanned (see Scanning a Paper Document into PDF).

Removing PII from a PDF Document (View Detailed Instructions from ADOBE Pro)

If the transcript is already in PDF format and does not yet have all the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) removed from the document, a program such as Adobe Acrobat Pro (different from Adobe Reader) may be used.

• With the document open in Adobe Acrobat Pro, click Advanced (in the menu bar)

• Click Redaction

• Click Mark for Redaction

• Click and Drag the box over the desired area (to redact)

• Click Advanced again

• Click Redaction

• Click Apply Redaction

• Save the document