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De-identify Text

Use this guide to send text to Guardian Layer and receive a safer version back.

For your first test, use fictional data.

Before You Start​

You need:

  • A Custodian Labs API key.
  • The API base URL for your environment.
  • A backend, terminal, or secure server-side place to make the request.
export CUSTODIAN_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"
export CUSTODIAN_API_BASE_URL="<your_api_base_url>"

Transform Text​

Use transform when you want readable de-identified output.

curl -X POST "$CUSTODIAN_API_BASE_URL/api/v1/deidentify/text/proprietary/outputs" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $CUSTODIAN_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "text": "Please contact Jane Smith at jane.smith@example.com or call (415) 555-0123.",
    "domain": "General",
    "masking_type": "transform",
    "pii_entities": ["ALL"]
  }'

Redact Text​

Use redact when you want sensitive values hidden with masking marks.

curl -X POST "$CUSTODIAN_API_BASE_URL/api/v1/deidentify/text/proprietary/outputs" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $CUSTODIAN_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "text": "Please contact Jane Smith at jane.smith@example.com or call (415) 555-0123.",
    "domain": "General",
    "masking_type": "redact",
    "pii_entities": ["ALL"]
  }'

Use Only Selected Entity Types​

Limit processing with pii_entities:

{
  "pii_entities": ["PERSON", "EMAIL_ADDRESS"]
}

This tells Guardian Layer to process names and email addresses while leaving other supported categories unchanged.

Check the Result​

The response includes:

  • original_text: the input text.
  • outputs: one or more de-identified output candidates.
  • mode: the response mode.
  • meta: processing metadata.

Use the first item in outputs for most application flows.

Next Steps​