Redact PII and List Redacted Items

Introduction

This SOP describes how to identify and redact personally identifiable information (PII) from a text document and how to generate a list of the redacted items. The process ensures privacy compliance and provides a clear audit trail of what information was removed.

Process

Step 1: Receive Input

1. Accept the text containing potential PII

Step 2: Define PII Types

1. Use the following list of common PII categories as the basis for detection:

   • Full names

   • Email addresses

   • Phone numbers

   • Physical addresses

   • Social Security Numbers (SSN) or national ID numbers

   • Passport numbers

   • Driver's license numbers

   • Financial account numbers (credit cards, bank accounts)

   • Dates of birth

   • Any other unique identifiers specific to the context

Step 3: Scan for PII

1. Examine the text sequentially to locate any instance that matches the defined PII patterns.

2. For each match, record:

   • The exact original text

   • The PII category (e.g., "Email address")

Step 4: Redact Detected PII

1. Replace each identified PII instance with a placeholder that indicates the type of information removed. Use the format {{PII_TYPE}} where PII_TYPE is the category in uppercase, for example:

   • {{NAME}}

   • {{EMAIL}}

   • {{PHONE}}

   • {{ADDRESS}}

   • {{SSN}}

2. Preserve the surrounding text and formatting so the document remains readable.

Step 5: Compile Redaction Log

1. Create a list (array) of objects, each containing:

   • original: the exact text that was redacted

   • type: the PII category

2. Order the list in the sequence the items appear in the original text.

Step 6: Return Results

1. Output the redacted text.

2. Output the redaction log (list of redacted items with their types).

Input

• text: The raw text document that may contain PII.

Output

• redacted_text: The input text with all PII replaced by appropriate placeholders.

• redaction_log: A list of objects detailing each redacted item, including the original value and its PII category.