Deletion vs. Anonymization

There may be circumstances where data should me anonymized vs being deleted. This article will cover the differences between each process and how to action if anonymization is the preferred route.

Definitions

When processing a Data Subject Access requests, there are two ways of modifying the data in a compliant fashion:

Deletion - Removes the record, or sensitive fields from the record, completely from the targeted system.

Anonymization - Modifies the sensitive data on the record in a way that irreversibly removes PII while still preserving the record itself.

Workflow Process

A deletion is our standard action when working with 3rd party integrations you connect through the DataGrail UI. Processing a deletion request will completely remove the requester’s record from the targeted integration. In some cases, a 3rd-party integration may not support record deletion, in which case we will anonymize the record as described below.

If you connect DataGrail to any custom data sources, such as an internal PostgreSQL instance, or a 3rd party integration that does not support deletion, the records will be anonymized rather than deleted. In the case of relational databases, anonymization is strongly preferred due to the likelihood of cross-table dependencies and other data linkages that make deletion impractical.

Example of Third Party systems that automatically offer Anonymization;

• Shopify

Third Party systems supported for customer selected Anonymization;

• Salesforce
• Greenhouse
• Rainfocus

Anonymization Setup Process

Setting up Anonymization for the one (or all) of the systems above is easy! DataGrail will provide a plan of steps that will be required to get going. Those steps have been simplified below;

• Confirm system for Anonymization
• Connect system (if not done already)
• DataGrail runs test to determine fields capable for Anonymization
• Customer confirms fields to move forward with (if fields are not Anonymized, they will by default, be deleted)
• DataGrail builds out Anonymization
• Customer and DataGrail test
• Anonymization goes live with system

If this is something of interest, please reach out to your dedicated Customer Success Manager to learn more.