---
schema_version: "1"
id: efab55fa30ba2f49c70bb5f8fab246185298d5e261d32eec8da4ad21a4fc06bf
title: Handling Data Privacy
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/platform_o_handling_data_privacy.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.platform_o_handling_data_privacy.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 4377aed187dfa6db5ba54c498fad2bdff65dd09edb2f5af231ed491924a398e0
description: Data Privacy is handled by masking the data. Own doesn’t change or delete records from backups. When you request records from a backup, either directly in the application or via API, the records are masked.
products:
  - Security
  - Salesforce Platform
release: "264"
---
# Handling Data Privacy

Data Privacy is handled by masking the data. Own doesn’t change or delete records from backups. When you request records from a backup, either directly in the application or via API, the records are masked.

If the backup is exported from the Own application, the records won't be masked. You're responsible for masking your own data outside of the Own application.

Our approach of keeping the data and masking it just-in-time during restore (and all other data-access operations) ensures the backup integrity is unharmed, and significantly reduces the likelihood of a failed restore.

Own identifies Personally Identifiable Information (PII) by scanning the field type, field label, and field name, as well as looking to see if the field has a common PII ending, for example country code.

Once identified, we send an email to the customer listing the fields identified and stating we're going to mask them.

Picklist fields are nullified. If the picklist is restricted, then it is assigned the last value in the list.

In Salesforce, customers can use the PII Compliance Classification Tool to mark their custom fields as PII, in order to be detected by our PII identification process.

If the PII Compliance Classification Tool is used to mark a custom field as PII after backups with that field have been created, the Data Privacy mask won’t be retroactively applied to existing backups. Only backups created after the field was marked will mask the field.

We detect any custom field marked with a compliance flag.

For BYOS customers, if you request records directly from your storage account, these records won’t be masked. If you terminate the relationship with Own, you’re responsible for masking your own data.

## Masking Method for Different Field Types

Fields are masked based on their format. Different masking methods are used for different field types.

The table provides examples of the mask applied to fields.

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
            <colgroup>
              <col style="width:33.333333333333336%">
              <col style="width:33.333333333333336%">
              <col style="width:33.333333333333336%">
            </colgroup>
            <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
              <tr class="">
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d71243e101">Field Types</th>
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d71243e104">Masking Method</th>
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d71243e107">Example</th>
              </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field Types" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e101 ">String Fields</td>

                <td data-label="Masking Method" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e104 ">gdpr_field_name</td>

                <td data-label="Example" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e107 ">
                  <ul>
                    <li>Full Name: Jane Doe &gt;&gt; gdpr_full_name</li>

                    <li>Title: Mrs. &gt;&gt; gdpr_title</li>

                  </ul>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field Types" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e101 ">Email Fields</td>

                <td data-label="Masking Method" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e104 ">gdpr@example.com</td>

                <td data-label="Example" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e107 ">Contact Email: jane@gmail.com &gt;&gt; gdpr@example.com</td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field Types" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e101 ">URL Fields</td>

                <td data-label="Masking Method" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e104 ">www.gdpr_url.com</td>

                <td data-label="Example" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e107 ">Company URL: www gmail.com &gt;&gt; www.gdpr_url.com</td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field Types" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e101 ">Address Fields</td>

                <td data-label="Masking Method" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e104 ">1-2, FIRST</td>

                <td data-label="Example" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e107 ">
                  <ul>
                    <li>Street: 654 Richardson Street &gt;&gt; 1st FIRST St</li>

                    <li>Postal Code: 100892 &gt;&gt; 111222</li>

                  </ul>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field Types" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e101 ">Date/Time Fields</td>

                <td data-label="Masking Method" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e104 ">
                  <ul>
                    <li>Year: 1900</li>

                    <li>Month: 01</li>

                    <li>Day: 01</li>

                    <li>Time: 00:00:00</li>

                  </ul>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Example" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e107 ">Joined Time: 2021-10-29 07:23:48 &gt;&gt; 1900-01-01 00:00:00</td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field Types" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e101 ">Boolean Fields</td>

                <td data-label="Masking Method" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e104 ">FALSE</td>

                <td data-label="Example" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e107 ">
                  <ul>
                    <li>Married: TRUE &gt;&gt; FALSE</li>

                    <li>Has Kids: FALSE &gt;&gt; FALSE</li>

                  </ul>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field Types" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e101 ">Number/Percentage Fields</td>

                <td data-label="Masking Method" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e104 ">0</td>

                <td data-label="Example" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e107 ">Age: 43 &gt;&gt; 0</td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field Types" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e101 ">Unique String Numbers</td>

                <td data-label="Masking Method" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e104 ">1-2-3-4</td>

                <td data-label="Example" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e107 ">
                  <ul>
                    <li>Social Security Number: 456-99-6782 &gt;&gt; 111-22-3333</li>

                    <li>Credit Card: 0672 2763 9980 0045 &gt;&gt; 1111 2222 3333 4444</li>

                    <li>National Insurance Number: QQ189436C &gt;&gt; AB112233C</li>

                  </ul>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field Types" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e101 ">Phone Numbers</td>

                <td data-label="Masking Method" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e104 ">551111111</td>

                <td data-label="Example" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e107 ">
                  <ul>
                    <li>Home Phone: 0268526019 &gt;&gt; 551111111</li>

                    <li>Mobile Phone: +092542820 &gt;&gt; 551111111</li>

                  </ul>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field Types" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e101 ">Empty Fields</td>

                <td data-label="Masking Method" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e104 ">Empty</td>

                <td data-label="Example" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d71243e107 ">Empty</td>

              </tr>
            </tbody>
          </table>