What is a data point?
Definition
A data point is a single piece of information, such as one measurement, one fact or one answer. In privacy, each detail about you (a name, an address, a phone number) is a data point.
- Category
- Data
- Also called
- datapoint, data points, Data
- Last updated
A data point is one individual piece of information inside a larger set of data. Merriam-Webster defines data as factual information, such as measurements or statistics, used as a basis for reasoning, discussion or calculation, and notes that "datum" is the technical word for a single piece of it. A data point is that single piece.
In a spreadsheet it is one cell. In a survey it is one answer from one person. In a science experiment it is one reading.
Data points about you
The same idea applies to people. Your name is a data point. So are your home address, your phone number, your email, the town where you work and the app you opened at 8:14 this morning. The UK data protection regulator, the ICO, says personal data covers information about a person who can be identified directly or indirectly, and its examples of identifiers include a name, an identification number, location data and an online identifier such as an IP address or cookie identifier.
One data point on its own usually says little. A first name is not much. The risk comes from joining them. A company that links your name, your past addresses, your age range and your phone number into one profile knows far more than any single detail tells it. That joining is what data brokers and people-search sites do, and it is why an address that looks harmless in one place becomes a problem once it sits next to your name and your relatives.
Data point vs. related terms
- Dataset: a collection of data points. One survey answer is a data point; all the answers together are a dataset.
- Personal data: data points that relate to an identifiable person. Not every data point is personal. A temperature reading is not, unless it is tied to someone.
- Identifier: a data point that points to a specific person, like an ID number or an email address.
How to protect yourself
- 1
Share fewer data points to begin with
Skip optional fields on sign-up forms, use a separate email address for shopping and newsletters, and say no when a shop asks for your phone number at the till.
- 2
Check which details are already public
Search your own name and phone number, then look at the people-search results. Our data broker guides show where each site hides its opt-out form.
- 3
Ask Google to drop results that show your contact details
Google's Results about you tool lets you request removal of results that show your phone number, home address or email.
- 4
Let Serus watch for new listings
Serus finds where your address and phone number are listed and removes them, then keeps checking in case they reappear.
See where your personal data is exposed
Serus finds it on data brokers and people-search sites and removes it.
Frequently asked
Is a data point the same as a data set?
No. A data point is one piece of information. A dataset is a collection of them.
Can one data point identify me?
Sometimes. A name that is rare, an email address with your full name in it or a national ID number can point to one person on its own. Most data points identify you only when combined with others.
What is a data point in statistics?
One observation in a set, such as a single person's height in a sample of 200 people. The sentence "on its own, one data point doesn't mean much" is how Merriam-Webster illustrates the word in use.
Sources
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