Specify sensitive content with predefined content detectors
Supported editions for this feature: Frontline Standard and Frontline Plus; Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus; Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, and Education Plus; Enterprise Essentials Plus. Compare your edition
Content detectors, used with data loss prevention (DLP), specify sensitive content types to scan and report. Some rule templates use predefined content detectors that automatically scan and report sensitive data. How the content is scanned and reported depends on the type of content.
Content detectors do not guarantee detection of sensitive content. There are limitations with certain applications and file types.
Use file metadata and proximity matching to refine detection
You can increase the accuracy of your data protection rules by scanning for specific file attributes or by using proximity matching.
Use file metadata to target specific attachments
Set rules to scan specific file attributes rather than all content.
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In the Google Admin console, go to Menu
Rules
Create rule
Data protection.Requires having the View and Manage DLP rule privileges, or for Chrome browser or ChromeOS, the View and Manage Chrome DLP rule privileges.
- Enter a name for your rule, select Drive, Gmail, or Chat as the applications to protect, and click Continue.
- In the Actions section, select the action to occur if sensitive data is detected in the scan, and then click Continue.
- In the Content conditions section, click Add Condition.
- For Content type to scan, select an option:
- File name
- File extension
- File type
- For What to scan for, choose a match type and
enter the values to detect.
Note: For file extensions, do not include a period (enter pdf, not .pdf). File names and extensions are limited to 500 characters. - Click Continue and complete your rule creation.
Use proximity matching to reduce false positives
Proximity matching detects sensitive data only when it appears within a specified distance of a specific keyword or pattern (regular expression). For limitations on the size and number of detectors, go to Detector size limits.
-
In the Google Admin console, go to Menu
Rules
Create rule
Data protection.Requires having the View and Manage DLP rule privileges, or for Chrome browser or ChromeOS, the View and Manage Chrome DLP rule privileges.
- Enter a name for your rule, select Drive, Gmail, or Chat as the applications to protect, and click Continue.
- In the Actions section, select the action to occur if sensitive data is detected in the scan, and then click Continue.
- In the Content conditions section, click Add Condition.
- For Content type to scan, select an option (for example, All content).
- Select Matches predefined data type and choose a detector.
- Check the Use proximity matching box.
- For Regular expression name, select your custom regular
expression from the list.
Note: You must create the regular expression in the Admin console before it appears in this list. - For Max characters before or Max characters
after, enter a value between 1 and 500.
Important: If these fields are left at 0, the rule might not trigger correctly. - Click Continue and complete your rule creation.
Note: For Google Sheets, proximity matching is restricted to the individual cell where the content is found. It does not scan adjacent cells or rows.
Find predefined content detectors
Tip: Some of the global detectors might not be useful for Gmail. For example, detectors like date and time will likely match for every email, since all email has a date and time.
| Geographic availability | Detector | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Global | Advertising ID | Identifiers used by developers to track users for advertising purposes. These include Google Play Advertising IDs, Amazon Advertising IDs, Apple's identifierForAdvertising (IDFA), and Apple's identifierForVendor (IDFV). |
| Global | Credit card number | Credit card numbers are 12 to 19 digits long. They're used for payment transactions globally. |
| Global | Credit card track number | A variable length alphanumeric string used to store key cardholder information. |
| Global | Bank account number (IBAN) | An International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is defined as an internationally agreed-upon method for identifying bank accounts. It's defined by the International Standard of Organization (ISO) 13616:2007 standard. ISO 13616:2007 was created by the European Committee for Banking Standards (ECBS). An IBAN consists of up to 34 alphanumeric characters including elements such as a country code or account number. |
| Global | Bank account number (SWIFT) | A SWIFT code is the same as a Bank Identifier Code (BIC). It's a unique identification code for a particular bank. These codes are used when transferring money between banks, particularly for international wire transfers. Banks also use the codes for exchanging other messages. |
| Global | ICD 9-CM Lexicon | The International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) lexicon is used to assign diagnostic and procedure codes associated with inpatient, outpatient, and physician office use in the United States. It was created by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The ICD-9-CM is based on the ICD-9 but provides for additional morbidity detail. It's updated annually on October 1. |
| Global | ICD 10-CM Lexicon | Like ICD 9 codes, ICD 10 codes are a series of diagnostic codes published by the World Health Organization (WHO) to describe causes of morbidity and mortality. |
| Global | Date of birth |
A date on which a person was born. Also known as:
|
| Global | Name occurrence | A person's name. |
| Global | Date | A date. Includes most date formats and the names of world holidays. |
| Global | Email address | An email address. The maximum length of the domain name is 255 characters. The maximum length of the local part is 64 characters. |
| Global | Phone number | A telephone number. |
| Global | MAC address | A media access control address (MAC address) which is an identifier for a network adapter. |
| Global | MAC address local | A local media access control address (MAC address) which is an identifier for a network adapter. |
| Global | International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) hardware identifier | The IMEI hardware identifier is used to identify mobile phones. |
| Global | IP address | An Internet Protocol address (IP address). The format is IPv4 or IPv6. |
| Global | URL basic | A uniform resource locator. |
| Global | Domain name | A domain name identified by the DNS standard. |
| Global | Time | A timestamp of a specific time of day. |
| Global | Age | The age of a person, measured in months or years. |
| Global | Ethnic group | A person's ethnic group. |
| Global | Gender identity | A person's gender. |
| Global | HTTP cookie | A standard way of storing data on a per website basis. This detector will find headers containing these cookies. |
| Global | Medical context | Or medical term. Terms that commonly refer to a person's medical condition or health. |
| Global | Passport | A passport number that matches passport numbers for the following countries: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, The Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States. |
| Global | Storage signed policy document | An HTML form used to upload objects. These uploads can overwrite existing objects and may contain many form fields (some of which may be optional) for further customization. All forms will use the *.googleapis.com and will be used for individual file uploads within a POST request form. The form must be UTF-8 encoded. |
| Global | Storage signed URL | a URL that provides time-limited resource access to anyone in possession of the URL, regardless of whether they have a Google account. Signed URLs contain authentication information in their query string, allowing users without credentials to perform specific actions on a resource. |
| Global | Vehicle identification number (VIN) | A unique 17-digit code assigned to every on-road motor vehicle. |
| Credentials and secrets | Authentication token | A machine-readable way of determining whether a particular request has been authorized for a user. This detector currently identifies tokens that comply with OAuth or Bearer authentication. |
| Credentials and secrets | AWS credentials | Amazon Web Services account access keys. |
| Credentials and secrets | Azure authentication token | Microsoft Azure certificate credentials for application authentication. |
| Credentials and secrets | Basic authentication header | An HTTP header used to identify a user to a server. It is part of the HTTP specification in RFC 1945, section 11. |
| Credentials and secrets | Encryption key | An encryption key within configuration, code, or log text. |
| Credentials and secrets | Google Cloud API key | An encrypted string used when calling Google Cloud APIs that don't need to access private user data. |
| Credentials and secrets | Google Cloud credentials | Google Cloud service account credentials that can be used to authenticate with Google API client libraries and service accounts. |
| Credentials and secrets | HTTP cookie | A standard way of storing data on a per website basis. This detector will find headers containing these cookies. |
| Credentials and secrets | JSON Web Token | (Compact form.) Represents a set of claims as a JSON object that is digitally signed using JSON Web Signature. |
| Credentials and secrets | Password | Clear text passwords in configs, code, and other text. |
| Credentials and secrets | Weakly hashed password | A password storage method that is easy to reverse engineer. The presence of such hashes often indicates that a system's security can be improved. |
| Credentials and secrets | XSRF token | An HTTP header commonly used to prevent cross-site scripting attacks. Cross-site scripting is a type of security vulnerability that can be exploited by malicious sites. |
| United States | Social Security Number (SSN) | A SSN is a 9-digit number issued to U.S. citizens and residents. The Social Security number is the default national identification number for taxation. |
| United States | Driver's License Number | Driver's license number for the United States. Format can vary depending on the issuing U.S. state. |
| United States | Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Number | A DEA number is assigned to a health care provider by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It allows the health care provider to write prescriptions for controlled substances. The DEA number is often used as a general "prescriber number" that is a unique identifier for anyone who can prescribe medication. |
| United States | American Bankers Association (ABA) Routing Number | The American Bankers Association (ABA) Routing Number (also called the transit number) is a nine-digit code. It's used to identify the financial institution that's responsible to credit or entitled to receive credit for a check or electronic transaction. |
| United States | National Provider Identifier (NPI) | The National Provider Identifier (NPI) is a unique 10-digit identification number issued to health care providers in the United States by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The NPI replaces the unique provider identification number (UPIN) as the required identifier for Medicare services. It's also used by other payers, including commercial healthcare insurers. |
| United States | Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures (CUSIP) | A CUSIP number is a 9-character alphanumeric code that identifies a North American financial security. |
| United States | Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Approved Prescription Drugs | This is any drug on the list of prescription drugs approved by the United States (FDA). |
| United States | Passport | A United States passport number. |
| United States | State Names | A state's name. |
| United States | Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number (ATIN) | The ATIN is a type of Tax Identification Number (TIN) issued by the Internal Revenue Service to people legally adopting a child. |
| United States | Employer Identification Number (EIN) | The EIN (also known as the Federal Tax Identification Number) is used to identify a business entity. |
| United States | Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) | An ITIN is a type of Tax Identification Number (TIN), issued by the Internal Revenue Service. An ITIN is a tax processing number available only to people with no Social Security Number. |
| United States | Toll Free Phone Number | A U.S. toll free telephone number. |
| United States | Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) | A VIN is a unique 17-digit code assigned to every on-road motor vehicle. |
| United States | Preparer Taxpayer Identification Number (PTIN) | The PTIN is an identification number, used by paid tax return preparers. |
| United Kingdom | Scotland Community Health Index Number (CHI number) | a 10-digit sequence used to uniquely identify a patient within National Health Service Scotland (NHS Scotland). |
| United Kingdom | Driver's License Number | Driver's license number for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). |
| United Kingdom | National Health Service (NHS) Number | NHS numbers are issued to registered users of the public health services in England, Wales, and the Isle of Man. |
| United Kingdom | National Insurance Number (NINO) | The National Insurance number is a number used in the United Kingdom (UK) in the administration of the National Insurance or social security system. |
| United Kingdom | Passport | A United Kingdom (UK) passport number. |
| United Kingdom | Taxpayer Identification Number | This is a detector for a United Kingdom (UK) Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number. This 10-digit number is an identifier used by the UK government to manage the taxation system. Unlike other identifiers, such as the passport number or social insurance number, the UTR is not listed on official identity cards. |
| Argentina | Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI) | A DNI is the Agentine national identity card. It's the main identity document for citizens. |
| Australia | Driver's license number | An Australian driver's license number. |
| Australia | Medicare Account Number | A 9-digit Medicare number is issued to permanent residents of Australia (except for Norfolk island). The primary purpose of this number is to prove Medicare eligibility to receive subsidized care in Australia. |
| Australia | Passport | An Australian passport number. |
| Australia | Tax File Number (TFN) | A number issued by the Australian Tax Office for taxpayer identification. Every taxpaying entity, such as an individual or an organization, is assigned a unique number. |
| Belgium | National ID card number | A 12-digit Belgian national identity card number. |
| Brazil | Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas (CPF) number | The CFP, or Natural Persons Register, is an 11-digit number used for taxpayer identification. |
| Canada | Bank account number | A Canadian bank account number. |
| Canada | Quebec Health Insurance Number (HIN) | The Quebec Health Insurance Number (HIN) is issued to citizens, permanent residents, temporary workers, students and other individuals who are entitled to health care coverage in the Province of Quebec. |
| Canada | Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) | The OHIP number is issued to citizens, permanent residents, temporary workers, students, and other individuals who are entitled to health care coverage in the Province of Ontario. |
| Canada | British Columbia Personal Health Number (PHN) | The British Columbia PHN is issued to citizens, permanent residents, temporary workers, students, and other individuals who are entitled to health care coverage in the Province of British Columbia. |
| Canada | Social Insurance Number (SIN) | The Social Insurance Number (SIN) is the main identifier used in Canada for citizens, permanent residents, and those on work or study visas. With a Canadian SIN and mailing address, citizens apply for health care coverage, driver's licenses, and other services. |
| Canada | Passport | A Canadian passport number. |
| Canada | Driver's License Number | A driver's license number for Canada for the ten provinces in Canada. |
| Chile | Chilean Cédula de Identidad (CDI) Number | A CDI card, or identity card, is the Chilean main identity document for citizens. |
| China | Passport | A Chinese passport number. |
| China | Resident Identification Number (RIC) | A resident identification number issued to each Chinese resident on a Resident Identity Card (RIC). |
| Colombia | Cédula de Ciudadanía (CDC) | The CDC, or Colombian citizenship card, is used as the main identity document for citizens. |
| Denmark | Personal Identification Number (CPR, Det Centrale Personregister) | A national ID number, used with public agencies such as health care and tax authorities. Banks and insurance companies also use it as a customer number. The CPR number is required for people who reside in Denmark, pay tax or own property there. |
| Finland | National ID number | A Finnish personal identity code, a national government identification number for Finnish citizens used on identity cards, driver's licenses and passports. |
| France | Carte Nationale d'Identité Sécurisée (CNI) | The CNI or CNIS is the national identity card, which has a 12-digit number. This number is commonly used when opening bank accounts and when paying by check. It can sometimes be used instead of a passport or visa within the European Union (EU). |
| France | Numéro d'Inscription au Répertoire (NIR) | The NIR is a permanent identification number that's also known as the French social security number. |
| France | Passport | A French passport number. |
| France | Tax identification number | A government-issued ID for all individuals paying taxes in France. |
| Germany | Driver's license | A German driver's license number. |
| Germany | Personalausweis | The main identity document for citizens of Germany. |
| Germany | Passport | A German passport number. The format of a German passport number is 10 alphanumeric characters, chosen from numerals 0-9 and letters C, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, T, V, W, X, Y, Z. |
| Germany | Taxpayer ID | An 11-digit number assigned to both natural-born and other legal residents of Germany for the purposes of recording tax payments. |
| Germany | Schufa ID number | Schufa Holding AG is a German credit bureau whose aim is to protect clients from credit risk. |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong identity card (HKIC) | The main identity document for citizens of Hong Kong. |
| India | Aadhaar Individual Number | A 12-digit individual identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India on behalf of the Government of India. The number is a proof of identity and address. |
| India | GST identification number (GSTIN) | A unique identifier required of every business in India for taxation. |
| India | Personal Permanent Account Number (PAN) | The PAN is a unique 10-digit alphanumeric identifier used for identification of individuals, particularly those who pay income tax. |
| Indonesia | Indonesian Single Identity Number (Nomor Induk Kependudukan, or NIK) | The national identification number of Indonesia. The NIK is used as the basis for issuing Indonesian resident identity cards (Kartu Tanda Penduduk, or KTP), passports, driver's licenses and other identity documents. |
| Ireland | Driving license number | Irish driving license number. |
| Ireland | Eircode | An Irish postal code that uniquely identifies an address. |
| Ireland | Passport | An Irish (IE) passport number. |
| Ireland | Irish Personal Public Service Number (PPS number, or PPSN) | A unique number for accessing social welfare benefits, public services, and information in Ireland. |
| Israel | Identity card number | Issued to all Israeli citizens at birth by the Ministry of the Interior. Temporary residents are assigned a number when they receive temporary resident status. |
| Italy | Fiscal code number | A unique 16-digit code assigned to Italian citizens as a form of identification. |
| Japan | Passport | A Japanese passport number. The passport number consists of 2 alphabetic characters followed by 7 digits. |
| Japan | Driver's License Number | A Japanese driver's license number. |
| Japan | Individual Number | A Japanese Individual Number, also known as My Number. This began to be issued in January 2016. |
| Japan | Bank Account Number | A Japanese bank account number. |
| Korea | Passport |
This is a detector for a Korean passport. There are 2 different formats. Pre-2008 passport numbers consist of 9 characters. The first 2 characters are the issued local code, corresponding to the holder's gu, or district. The remaining 7 digits are the serial number. Post-2008 passport numbers consist of 9 characters. The first character is either a single letter M, denoting PM passports, or the letter S for PS passports. The remaining 8 digits are the serial number. |
| Korea | RRN | A South Korean Social Security number. |
| Mexico | National Identification Number (CURP) | This is a detector for the Mexico Clave Única de Registro de Población (CURP) number. In English, this is the Unique Population Registry Code, or Personal ID Code Number. This is an 18-character state-issued identification number assigned by the Mexican government to citizens or residents of Mexico and used for taxpayer identification. |
| Mexico | Passport | A Mexican passport number. |
| Netherlands | Burgerservicenummer (BSN) | The BSN is also known as the Citizen's Service Number. It's a state-issued identification number that's on driver's licenses, passports, and international ID cards. |
| Netherlands | Passport | A Netherlands passport number. |
| Norway | Fødselsnummer | National Identification Number, or Birth Number; assigned at birth, or on migration into the country. It is registered with the Norwegian Tax Office. |
| Paraguay | Cédula de identidad civil (CIC) Number | The CIC number, or civil identity card, is the main identity document for Paraguay citizens. |
| Peru | Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI) Number | The DNI number, or national identity card, is the main identity document for citizens. |
| Poland | PESEL Number | The National Identification Number in Poland. Mandatory for all permanent residents of Poland, as well as for temporary residents staying there longer than 2 months. |
| Poland | Poland National Identification Number | PESEL (Polish Powszechny Elektroniczny System Ewidencji Ludności, Universal Electronic System for Registration of the Population) is the national identification number used in Poland since 1979. |
| Poland | Passport | A Polish passport number. |
| Portugal | Cartão de Cidadão (CDC) Number | The CDC, or citizen card, is used as the main identity, Social Security, health services, taxpayer, and voter document. |
| Singapore | National Registration ID | A unique set of nine alpha-numeric characters on the Singapore National Registration Identity Card. |
| Singapore | Passport | A Singaporean passport number. |
| Spain | Código de Identificación Fiscal (CIF) | The tax identification system used in Spain for legal entities until 2008. Replaced by the Número de Identificación Fiscal (NIF) for natural and juridical persons. |
| Spain | Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI) | The DNI is the identification number for Spanish citizens. The same number is used on a Spanish driver's license. |
| Spain | Driver's License Number | A Spanish driver's license number. |
| Spain | Número de Identificación de Extranjeros (NIE) Number | NIE numbers are government ID numbers for foreigners living or doing business in Spain. A NIE number is needed for transactions such as opening a bank account, buying a car, or setting up a mobile phone contract. |
| Spain | Número de Identificación Fiscal (NIF) Number | NIF numbers are government ID numbers for Spanish citizens. An NIF number is needed for key transactions such as opening a bank account, buying a car, or setting up a mobile phone contract. |
| Spain | Passport | There are 4 different types of passports in Spain. This detector is for the Ordinary Passport (Pasaporte Ordinario) type, which is issued for ordinary travel, such as vacations and business trips. |
| Spain | Social Security Number | A 10-digit sequence that identifies a person for all interactions with the country's Social Security system. |
| Sweden | Personal Identity Number (personnummer) | A national government identification number for Swedish citizens. |
| Sweden | Passport | Represents a Swedish passport number. Swedish passports are issued to nationals of Sweden for the purpose of international travel, and serve as proof of Swedish citizenship. |
| Taiwan | Passport | A Taiwanese passport number. |
| Thailand | Thai identity card (บัตรประจำตัวประชาชนไทย) | The main identity document for Thai nationals. |
| Turkey | Turkish ID number | A unique identification number assigned to every citizen of Turkey. |
| Uruguay | Cédula de Identidad (CDI) Number | A CDI, or identity card, is the main identity document for citizens. |
| Venezuela | Cédula de Identidad (CDI) Number | A CDI, or identity card, is the main identity document for citizens. |
| Documents | Blank legal form or template | This document type typically has multiple areas or boxes left empty to be filled in by an individual, who then submits the form to a legal institution. |
| Documents | Court order, ruling, or decision | A document produced by the court requesting a specific action from the involved parties. |
| Documents | Law document | Contains the text of a law or a regulation. |
| Documents | Legal brief | A document that advocates a particular outcome of a case, presenting supporting points, law interpretations, and recommendations. |
| Documents | Pleading | A formal written statement of a party's claims or defenses to another party's claims. Examples include a complaint, a demurrer, or an answer. |
| Documents | Patent | A patent or a patent application document. |
| Documents | Finance regulatory documents | These include financial regulations, tax laws, rules, and guidelines. They are typically issued by tax or regulatory authorities. |
| Documents | Resume | A résumé or a curriculum vitae (CV) document. |
| Documents | SEC filing | A formal document submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The most commonly filed SEC forms are 10-K and 10-Q. |
| Documents | Source code | A source code file. |
| Documents | System log | A system or application software log. |
| Documents | Database backup | A database backup file. |