What Is Data Masking?
Data masking replaces sensitive information with anonymized versions while preserving the data's format and usability. It's essential for sharing logs, preparing demo datasets, and ensuring compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
How to Use
Paste text containing sensitive information into the input area. Select which data types to mask using the checkboxes. Click "Mask Data" and the tool instantly replaces patterns like email addresses and phone numbers with masked versions (e.g., j***@example.com, 138****5678).
Usage Example
Input:
Contact: john.doe@company.com Phone: 13812345678 ID: 110101199001011234 IP: 192.168.1.100
Output:
Contact: j***@company.com Phone: 138****5678 ID: 110101********1234 IP: 192.168.***.100
Common Use Cases
- Log sharing — Mask IP addresses and emails before sharing server logs with your team.
- Demo data preparation — Create safe-to-share datasets with masked PII.
- Document redaction — Quickly redact personal information from documents before sharing externally.
- Compliance reporting — Ensure reports don't contain raw PII before submitting.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Once data is masked with asterisks, the original characters are not recoverable from the output. The original data remains only in your input field until you clear it.
The ID card pattern is optimized for 18-digit Chinese ID numbers but also works with similar numeric formats. Other formats like US SSN (###-##-####) are not currently supported.