7 Anonymization Methods

Choose the right protection method for your compliance requirements. From complete redaction to reversible encryption and passthrough, we've got you covered.

Redact

Completely remove PII from the document, replacing it with a placeholder like [REDACTED].

Before

Contact John Smith at john.smith@company.com

After

Contact [REDACTED] at [REDACTED]

Best For:
Legal documentsFOIA requestsPublic recordsCourt filings

Mask

Partially obscure PII while keeping some characters visible for reference.

Before

Contact John Smith at john.smith@company.com

After

Contact J*** S**** at j***.s****@c******.com

Best For:
Customer supportVerification displaysPartial visibility needsUser interfaces

Replace

Substitute detected PII with realistic fake data that maintains document readability.

Before

Contact John Smith at john.smith@company.com

After

Contact Jane Doe at jane.doe@example.com

Best For:
Testing environmentsDemo data generationTraining datasetsDocument sharing

Hash (SHA-256)

One-way cryptographic hash that allows for consistent pseudonymization across documents.

Before

Contact John Smith at john.smith@company.com

After

Contact a1b2c3d4 at e5f6g7h8

Best For:
Research dataAnalyticsCross-document linkingPseudonymization

Encrypt (AES-256-GCM)

Reversible encryption that allows authorized users to recover original data with the correct key.

Before

Contact John Smith at john.smith@company.com

After

Contact [ENC:xyz123] at [ENC:abc456]

Best For:
Temporary anonymizationData recovery needsAudit requirementsReversible workflows
Learn more about Reversible Encryption

Asymmetric Encrypt (RSA-4096)

Public-key encryption for multi-party workflows. External apps encrypt with your public key, only you can decrypt with your private key. Uses RSA-4096 + AES-256-GCM hybrid encryption.

Before

Contact John Smith at john.smith@company.com

After

Contact GIszLbhC+eP04L7Z...== at TKm1qial5As...==

Best For:
Multi-party data sharingExternal app integrationThird-party audit workflowsData processing pipelines
Learn more about Asymmetric Encryption

Method Comparison

MethodReversibleReadableLinkableBest For
Redact NoPartial NoLegal, Public Records
MaskPartialPartial NoSupport, UI Display
Replace No Yes NoTesting, Demos
Hash (SHA-256) No No YesResearch, Analytics
Encrypt (AES-256-GCM) Yes No NoTemporary, Audit
Asymmetric Encrypt (RSA-4096) Yes No NoMulti-party, External Apps

Is This Right For You?

Best For

  • Teams choosing between 7 anonymization operators (replace, mask, hash, encrypt, redact, fake, custom) per entity type
  • GDPR pseudonymization vs true anonymization compliance decisions with reversible encryption for audit trails
  • Mixed-operator workflows where different entity types require different anonymization strategies
  • Comparison-driven decision making with reversibility, readability, and linkability trade-offs

Not For

  • Teams preferring a single "black box" redaction without operator selection or configuration
  • Use cases requiring original PII tokens to survive exactly unchanged (encryption wraps tokens with metadata)

Try All Methods Free

Start with 200 free tokens per cycle. Experiment with all anonymization methods.