Selectively masking personally identifiable information

An apparatus for selectively masking PII, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor configured:
• to receive at least one data file including the PII through an ingestion pipeline and create a raw data set;
• to read the raw data set;
• to filter the raw data set;
• to analyze the raw data set for determining at least one location including the PII and contextual information;
• to identify the PII in the at least one location and categorize the PII as a type of PII;
• to record the type of PII in a data field;
• and
• to selectively mask the PII without masking the contextual information;
• to output a masked data set including the at least one data file with the PII selectively masked and the data field containing a record of the type of PII selectively masked.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code executed by a processor and comprising:

• program code to provide at least one data file including the PII through an ingestion pipeline and creating a raw data set;
• program code to read the raw data set;
• program code to filter the raw data set;
• program code to analyze the raw data set for determining at least one location including the PII;
• program code to identify the PII in the at least one location and categorize the PII as a type of PII;
• program code to record the type of PII in a data field;
• program code to selectively mask the PII;
• program code to analyze the at least one location to determine a context proximate to the PII and mask only the PII;
• program code to output a masked data set including the at least one data file with the PII selectively masked and the data field containing a record of the type of PII selectively masked.