Identifioitunut

Identifioitunut is a Finnish adjective meaning “identified,” formed from the verb identifioida (to identify). It describes something or someone that has undergone identification and thus has a known or linked identity. The term is used in formal, technical, or official contexts—such as law, security, or data governance—where it is important to indicate that identity has been established.

The root verb identifioida is a loanword influenced by English identify, and Finnish commonly uses participial forms to create adjectives that describe a state resulting from an action. In practice, identifioitu and identifioitunut appear in different registers, with identifioitu being very common in everyday language, while identifioitunut tends to occur more in formal or technical texts.

Usage examples include phrases such as identifioitunut henkilö (an identified person) or identifioidut tiedot (identified data). In privacy and data protection discussions, the distinction between identified and anonymized data is frequent, with identifioitu or identifioitunut tiedot indicating that a data subject can be linked to a specific identity. Related concepts include identifiointi (the process of identification) and henkilötiedot (personal data).

Notes on nuance: Finnish allows several closely related forms to express identification, and choice of form can depend on register and context. In many everyday contexts, identifioitu is preferred for simplicity, while identifioitunut may appear in official documents or standards to emphasize the resulting state after identification.