PII checks in chat

When PII detection is on, DataMind OS checks chat messages for personal data before they are sent to the AI. In a chat you can scan a draft while you write, and if a message is flagged you are shown what was found so you can fix it.

Scan a draft before you send it

1. Find Check PII among the message-box controls. Depending on the screen, it appears as a PII pill in the message box row, as a button next to send, or as a Check PII item in a menu.
2. Click it. The check reads the draft only and colours what it finds; nothing is sent to the chat. A spinner shows while it runs.
3. Read the result in the message box:
   • Parts with personal data are coloured. Point at a coloured part to see its label and confidence score, like email · 92%. On a touch screen the tooltips do not appear.
   • If nothing is found, a notice reads No PII detected: "Your draft looks clean against the platform policy."
4. Edit what you do not want to send, or send the message as usual. The colours follow your text as you edit: they shift with your changes, and only a part whose own text you change loses its colour.

Read the full scan result

A check can also open the full result in a PII scan dialog, for example when you check a training card. The scan starts as soon as the dialog opens, and Scanning… shows while it runs. There is no separate scan button inside; the dialog says the text is checked against the platform's PII detection policy.

• The text appears with the found parts highlighted, with the same label and confidence tooltips as in the message box.
• A card for each label lists its matches, headed like email - 2.
• Matches found by a regex rule carry a Regex badge and show .* instead of a percentage.
• A summary line reads like "3 matches across 2 labels".
• If nothing is found, the dialog shows No PII detected: "Nothing in this text matched the enabled detection rules."
• If the check cannot run, the dialog shows the reason the server gave, or PII scan failed when there is none.

Handle a blocked or warned message

1. If personal data is found when you send, the message is not sent. A notice appears and stays on screen for 12 seconds so you can act on it.
2. Click the notice to open the details. The dialog Personal information detected shows the message with the parts it flagged highlighted: "This message was not sent. Edit the highlighted parts to remove or mask them."
3. Choose what to do:
   • Edit message: in the dialog, returns you to the message box with the highlighted parts still coloured, so you can change them and send again.
   • Restore: on the notice, puts the unsent message back into the message box; the notice confirms "Your message is back in the input."
   • Send it anyway: on the notice or in the dialog, sends the message despite the warning. It appears only in Warn User mode and only if you hold PII Detection Bypass.
   • Close: in the dialog, closes it without changing the message.

What happens next depends on the policy:

• Block User Traffic is final. The message can be sent only after the personal data is removed or masked.
• Warn User allows a user with PII Detection Bypass to send the exact text that was flagged, unchanged. If the text is edited, it is checked again when sent.

What the check uses

The check runs the saved PII detection policy for what you are checking: the same rules and engines used when that text is sent or saved. Changes that have not been saved yet do not apply. The policy is set on Admin > PII Detection; see PII detection.

Every detection and every skipped warning is recorded in the PII log; see AI, socket and PII logs.

Questions, answered

Why is Check PII missing from the message box?

It is hidden while Global PII detection is off, because no checks run anywhere then. An administrator can turn it on in Admin > PII Detection. See PII detection.

Why is Check PII greyed out?

The check needs something to read. It is unavailable while the draft is empty or holds only spaces, while a check is already running, or while the message box itself is disabled. Wait for the running check to finish, or type some text first.

Does Check PII send my message?

No. The check reads the draft and colours what it finds. Nothing is posted to the chat until you send the message yourself.

What does the check compare my draft against?

The saved PII detection policy for chats: the same rules and engines used when a message is sent. Edits an administrator has made but not saved yet do not apply. See PII detection.

Why do my highlights move or disappear while I edit?

The colours follow your text. A highlighted part whose own text you change loses its colour, because it no longer matches what was found. The parts you did not touch keep theirs and shift with your edit. Run Check PII again for a fresh result.

Why do some matches show .* instead of a percentage?

The match came from a regex rule. A regex either matches or it does not, so there is no confidence score to show.

My message was flagged. How can I send it unchanged?

Only in Warn User mode and only if you hold PII Detection Bypass: choose Send it anyway on the notice or in the dialog. It applies to the exact text that was flagged. In Block User Traffic mode the message cannot be sent until the personal data is removed or masked.

Why is Send it anyway missing?

Three reasons: the policy is Block User Traffic, so the block is final; you do not hold PII Detection Bypass; or you edited the message after it was flagged. An edit cancels the bypass for that text, and the edited message is checked again when you send. Without the permission the option is not offered and a bypass send is refused. See the permission reference for what each PII permission covers.

Why don't I see tooltips on my phone?

The tooltips that name a label and its confidence score are for pointer devices; on a touch screen they do not appear. The colours, the scan result and the notices still show.

How do I get my unsent message back?

Choose Restore on the notice, or Edit message in the dialog, and the text returns to the message box. The notice confirms "Your message is back in the input." It stays on screen for 12 seconds, so act while it is visible.

Are flagged messages and skipped warnings recorded?

Yes. Every detection and every skipped warning is recorded in Observability > Logs > PII, and logging cannot be turned off. Reading the entries needs PII Log Viewer. See AI, socket and PII logs.

Why did the scan fail?

The check could not run. The notice shows the reason the server gave; if there is none, it reads PII scan failed. Run Check PII again, and if it keeps failing, tell your administrator and quote the message.