US 2026/0244789 A1Published application

Api-centric data masking with dynamic user-level control

AssigneeReltio, Inc.

InventorsSergio Javier Abraham, Saurabh Agarwal, Abhradeep Sengupta, Yakov Goyhman, Anshuman Kanwar

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Abstract

Storing a plurality of datasets including personally identifiable information (PII). Establishing a secure API layer that is an enforcement point for masking the PII. Defining masking criteria that considers a structure of the PII, wherein the masking criteria is defined based on regular expressions. Masking, at an API level, attributes of the PII based on the masking criteria, thereby preventing users from searching the masked data. Presenting the masked attributes to a user via the secure API layer. Securely unmasking at least a portion of the masked attributes using unique API calls based on user-level permissions associated with the user. Presenting the unmasked attributes via the secure API layer. Centrally logging the masking of the attributes of the PII and the unmasking of the at least a portion of the masked attributes. Generating, by the API-centric dynamic masking system, an audit trail based on the centrally logged information.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

one or more processors;
and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform:
storing, by a multi-tenant platform, a plurality of datasets, wherein the plurality of datasets include personally identifiable information (PII);
establishing, by an API-centric dynamic masking system of the multi-tenant platform, a secure API layer, the secure API layer being an enforcement point for masking the PII;
defining, by the API-centric dynamic masking system, masking criteria that considers a structure of the PII, wherein the masking criteria is defined based on regular expressions;
masking, by the API-centric dynamic masking system at an API level, attributes of the PII based on the masking criteria, thereby preventing users from searching the masked data;
presenting, by a graphical user interface, the masked attributes to a user via the secure API layer;
securely unmasking, by the API-centric dynamic masking system, at least a portion of the masked attributes using unique API calls based on user-level permissions associated with the user;
presenting, by the graphical user interface, the unmasked attributes via the secure API layer;
centrally logging, by the API-centric dynamic masking system, the masking of the attributes of the PII and the unmasking of the at least a portion of the masked attributes;
generating, by the API-centric dynamic masking system, an audit trail based on the centrally logged information.

9 more elements

A system comprising:

one or more processors;
and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform:
storing a plurality of entity records in a multi-tenant platform, each entity record including a set of attributes, wherein at least one attribute is designated as containing sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) and is configured with a data masking rule, wherein the data masking rule is associated with a particular masking pattern of a plurality of different masking patterns;
defining access permissions in a role-based access control (RBAC) model such that only users having a predefined privilege or role are allowed to view unmasked values of the sensitive attribute, while users without the privilege are restricted to masked values;
receiving a data retrieval request via an application programming interface (API) call from a requesting user for an entity record that includes the sensitive attribute;
automatically determining, by the multi-tenant platform in response to receiving the request, whether the requesting user's role is authorized to view the sensitive attribute unmasked or not, based on the RBAC permissions;
retrieving an actual value of the sensitive attribute for the entity record, the actual value remaining stored in an unmasked, non-redacted form in a secure datastore associated with the multi-tenant platform;
determining whether the requesting user is authorized or not authorized to view the sensitive attribute's actual value;
dynamically generating, in response to determining the user is not authorized to view the sensitive attribute's actual value, a masked representation of the actual value based on the associated data masking rule and masking pattern;
providing a response to the data retrieval request, wherein the response includes the entity record's data such that the sensitive attribute is presented as the masked representation if the user is unauthorized, or as the actual value if the user is authorized.

8 more elements

A method implemented by a computing system including one or more processors and storage media storing machine-readable instructions, wherein the method is performed using the one or more processors, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of entity records in a multi-tenant platform, each entity record including a set of attributes, wherein at least one attribute is designated as containing sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) and is configured with a data masking rule, wherein the data masking rule is associated with a particular masking pattern of a plurality of different masking patterns;
defining access permissions in a role-based access control (RBAC) model such that only users having a predefined privilege or role are allowed to view unmasked values of the sensitive attribute, while users without the privilege are restricted to masked values;
receiving a data retrieval request via an application programming interface (API) call from a requesting user for an entity record that includes the sensitive attribute;
automatically determining, by the multi-tenant platform in response to receiving the request, whether the requesting user's role is authorized to view the sensitive attribute unmasked or not, based on the RBAC permissions;
retrieving an actual value of the sensitive attribute for the entity record, the actual value remaining stored in an unmasked, non-redacted form in a secure datastore associated with the multi-tenant platform;
determining whether the requesting user is authorized or not authorized to view the sensitive attribute's actual value;
dynamically generating, in response to determining the user is not authorized to view the sensitive attribute's actual value, a masked representation of the actual value based on the associated data masking rule and masking pattern;
providing a response to the data retrieval request, wherein the response includes the entity record's data such that the sensitive attribute is presented as the masked representation if the user is unauthorized, or as the actual value if the user is authorized.

5 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform:

storing a plurality of entity records in a multi-tenant platform, each entity record including a set of attributes, wherein at least one attribute is designated as containing sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) and is configured with a data masking rule, wherein the data masking rule is associated with a particular masking pattern of a plurality of different masking patterns;
defining access permissions in a role-based access control (RBAC) model such that only users having a predefined privilege or role are allowed to view unmasked values of the sensitive attribute, while users without the privilege are restricted to masked values;
receiving a data retrieval request via an application programming interface (API) call from a requesting user for an entity record that includes the sensitive attribute;
automatically determining, by the multi-tenant platform in response to receiving the request, whether the requesting user's role is authorized to view the sensitive attribute unmasked or not, based on the RBAC permissions;
retrieving an actual value of the sensitive attribute for the entity record, the actual value remaining stored in an unmasked, non-redacted form in a secure datastore associated with the multi-tenant platform;
determining whether the requesting user is authorized or not authorized to view the sensitive attribute's actual value;
dynamically generating, in response to determining the user is not authorized to view the sensitive attribute's actual value, a masked representation of the actual value based on the associated data masking rule and masking pattern;
providing a response to the data retrieval request, wherein the response includes the entity record's data such that the sensitive attribute is presented as the masked representation if the user is unauthorized, or as the actual value if the user is authorized.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 19/540,403Filed 13 Feb 2026
Priority: 13 Feb 2025
Published: 20 Aug 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G06F 21/6254
Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes: by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's…
G06F 21/604
Protecting data: tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
G06F 21/6245
To a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database: protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
G06F
Computing and data processing