PII Detector
Scan text for personally identifiable information (PII): emails, phone numbers, credit cards, SSNs, IP addresses, and more. Runs entirely in your browser.
All scanning happens in your browser. Text is never sent to any server or stored.
Detected Pattern Types
highEmail AddressEmail address pattern
criticalCredit Card NumberMajor credit card number formats
criticalUS SSNUS Social Security Number (XXX-XX-XXXX)
highPhone NumberPhone numbers (US, international)
mediumIPv4 AddressIPv4 address
mediumDate of BirthDate in MM/DD/YYYY format
criticalPassport NumberPassport-style alphanumeric ID
lowUS ZIP CodeUS ZIP code
criticalURL with CredentialsURL containing embedded username:password
highAPI Key / Token (likely)API key or secret token pattern
How to Use PII Detector
- 1Paste text into the scanner.
- 2See detected PII types highlighted with their positions.
- 3Review the risk summary by PII type.
- 4Use the results to redact or anonymize the data.
Zenovay
Unlock unlimited tools
Get unlimited daily uses on all 90+ tools, plus priority AI processing and premium features.
Related Tools
GA4 Health CheckerAudit your Google Analytics 4 setup for duplicate tracking, consent mode issues, deprecated UA scripts, and data layer problems.
Analytics AdvisorCompare 14+ analytics platforms on pricing, privacy compliance, features, and GDPR readiness. Find the right tool for your needs.
Privacy Policy AuditorDetect third-party scripts on your site and check if each one is properly disclosed in your privacy policy. Get a compliance score.
Privacy Law CheckerAnalyze your website to determine which privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, PIPEDA, APPI) apply based on audience signals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PII (Personally Identifiable Information)?▾
PII is any information that can be used to identify, contact, or locate a specific individual. Direct identifiers include name, email, SSN, phone number, passport number, and credit card number. Indirect identifiers include birth date, zip code, gender, race, and IP address (depending on jurisdiction). Under GDPR, any data that can identify a natural person is personal data and subject to protection.
Is my text sent to a server?▾
No. This PII detector runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript regex patterns. Your text never leaves your device and is never transmitted to any server. The tool does not store or log any input. This is especially important for sensitive documents — you can safely scan contracts, logs, or database exports without risk of data exposure.
What regulations require PII protection?▾
Key regulations: GDPR (EU) — covers all personal data of EU residents with severe penalties (up to 4% of annual global turnover). CCPA (California) — rights to know, delete, and opt out of sale. HIPAA (US) — health information, 18 specific PHI identifiers. PCI DSS — payment card data, required for merchants. LGPD (Brazil), PDPA (Thailand, Singapore), and PIPEDA (Canada) have similar requirements.
What should I do when I find PII in unprotected text?▾
Options for handling exposed PII: redaction (replace with [REDACTED] or XXX), tokenization (replace with a reversible token stored in a secure mapping), pseudonymization (replace with a consistent fake value), encryption (encrypt the field), or deletion if retention is not required. For logs, use structured logging with automatic PII masking. For databases, apply column-level encryption and access controls.
How accurate is regex-based PII detection?▾
Regex-based detection has known limitations: false positives (phone number format matched in non-phone context), false negatives (SSNs stored without dashes, obfuscated emails), and language/locale dependency (phone formats vary by country). Production PII scanning should combine regex with ML models, context analysis, and human review. This tool is useful for quick checks and education, but not a substitute for enterprise DLP solutions.