---
title: PII redaction
description: "The PII redaction switch under Advanced: names, emails and phone numbers are stripped from transcripts, summaries and analytics before storage."
---

**PII redaction** in the **Privacy** card under **Advanced** removes personal
details from a conversation's text before anything is stored. Names, emails, phone
numbers and other identifiers are replaced in transcripts, summaries and analytics.
The conversation itself is unaffected: the agent hears and uses the details during
the call.

:::tip[When to turn it on]
Any line where the people who read transcripts should not see who called: quality
review by a vendor, analytics shared across teams, or a data-minimisation policy.
It keeps every feature that needs a transcript while removing what makes it
personal.
:::

![The PII redaction switch in the Privacy card.](/media/build/privacy-card.webp)

## Configuring it

1. Open the agent and choose **Advanced** under **Build**.
2. In **Privacy**, switch on **PII redaction**.
3. **Save**. Conversations from now on are redacted.

## Reference

| Field | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| **PII redaction** | Off | Names, emails, phone numbers and other personal details are redacted from transcripts, summaries and analytics before they are stored |

## What is and is not redacted

| | Redacted |
|---|---|
| Transcript under **Call Logs** and **Conversations** | Yes |
| Summary and quality assessment | Yes |
| Outcome values and analytics | Yes |
| The live conversation, tools and webhooks called during it | No; the agent needs the details to do its job |
| The audio recording | No; redaction is applied to text |
| Contact records under **Contacts** | No; these are your data, entered by you |

## Behaviour and limits

- Redaction happens before storage, so there is no unredacted copy to recover. Turn
  it on only when you are sure reviewers never need the original.
- It applies to voice and text agents.
- The switch is shown only while **Data Storage Preference** is **Store and Analyze
  Calls**. With **Opt-Out of Data Storage** nothing is stored, so there is nothing to
  redact.
- [Memory](/build/memory) works from redacted text; the agent can remember a
  preference but not a redacted phone number.
- Outcomes that ask for personal data, such as `callback_number`, return redacted
  values. Collect those through a tool or webhook during the call instead.
- Detection is automatic; there is no list of fields to configure.

## Verify

Turn it on, run a **Chat** or **Call** test in which you give a name and a phone number, then
open the conversation. Both are replaced in the transcript and absent from the
summary.

## Related

- [Data retention](/build/privacy/data-retention)
- [Storage destination](/build/privacy/storage-destination)
- [Outcomes](/build/outcomes)