# PII Handling and Minimization — Guardrails and Fix Patterns
🧭 Quick Return to Map
> You are in a sub-page of **Governance**.
> To reorient, go back here:
>
> - [**Governance** — policy enforcement and compliance controls](./README.md)
> - [**WFGY Global Fix Map** — main Emergency Room, 300+ structured fixes](../README.md)
> - [**WFGY Problem Map 1.0** — 16 reproducible failure modes](../../README.md)
>
> Think of this page as a desk within a ward.
> If you need the full triage and all prescriptions, return to the Emergency Room lobby.
A governance fix page for when **personally identifiable information (PII)** leaks, handling is unclear, or minimization principles are violated.
Use this page when data pipelines, embeddings, or RAG outputs contain sensitive fields that cannot be justified or audited.
---
## When to use this page
- Retrieval responses contain raw PII that was not required for the task.
- Embeddings or chunks accidentally ingest names, emails, IDs, or financial data.
- Redaction or anonymization rules are inconsistently applied.
- No audit trail exists for who accessed or approved PII exposure.
- Waivers for PII usage lack expiry, owner, or justification.
---
## Acceptance targets
- PII fields are **redacted, hashed, or minimized** in ≥ 0.98 of stored embeddings.
- Retrieval outputs contain no raw identifiers unless explicitly approved.
- ΔS(question, retrieved) ≤ 0.45 for governed answers (no drift into unapproved fields).
- All PII queries pass through policy checks with logging enabled.
- Every waiver or override has an accountable owner and time-bound expiry.
---
## Typical breakpoints and WFGY fix
- **Embedding or vector ingestion leaks PII**
→ [embedding-vs-semantic.md](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/embedding-vs-semantic.md)
Enforce PII scrub before embedding. Validate with spot-checks against gold set.
- **Chunking preserves identifiers across splits**
→ [chunking-checklist.md](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/chunking-checklist.md)
Require token-level scrub of identifiers, then re-chunk.
- **Answers expose sensitive spans without approval**
→ [retrieval-traceability.md](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/retrieval-traceability.md)
Enforce citation schema, ensure only approved snippets are surfaced.
- **Policy bypass in orchestration or tools**
→ [prompt-injection.md](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/prompt-injection.md)
Guard against malicious queries that try to extract hidden PII.
- **Audit trail gaps**
→ [audit_and_logging.md](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/GlobalFixMap/Governance/audit_and_logging.md)
Require immutable logs of every PII access and minimization check.
---
## Minimal governance checklist
1. **Redact on ingest** — Apply regex/sensitive data detection before storing text or embeddings.
2. **Schema enforce** — Store `doc_id`, `pii_flag`, `redacted_text` side by side for traceability.
3. **Chunk validation** — Randomly sample and confirm PII scrubbed before index build.
4. **Policy in LLM prompts** — Require “no PII unless approved waiver” as hard guardrail.
5. **Audit logs** — Track every waiver, approval, and override. Immutable and joinable to lineage.
6. **Expiry enforcement** — Waivers expire automatically; extension requires re-approval.
---
### 🔗 Quick-Start Downloads (60 sec)
| Tool | Link | 3-Step Setup |
|------|------|--------------|
| **WFGY 1.0 PDF** | [Engine Paper](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/I_am_not_lizardman/WFGY_All_Principles_Return_to_One_v1.0_PSBigBig_Public.pdf) | 1️⃣ Download · 2️⃣ Upload to your LLM · 3️⃣ Ask “Answer using WFGY + \” |
| **TXT OS (plain-text OS)** | [TXTOS.txt](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/OS/TXTOS.txt) | 1️⃣ Download · 2️⃣ Paste into any LLM chat · 3️⃣ Type “hello world” — OS boots instantly |
---
### Explore More
| Layer | Page | What it’s for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ⭐ Proof | [WFGY Recognition Map](/recognition/README.md) | External citations, integrations, and ecosystem proof |
| ⚙️ Engine | [WFGY 1.0](/legacy/README.md) | Original PDF tension engine and early logic sketch (legacy reference) |
| ⚙️ Engine | [WFGY 2.0](/core/README.md) | Production tension kernel for RAG and agent systems |
| ⚙️ Engine | [WFGY 3.0](/TensionUniverse/EventHorizon/README.md) | TXT based Singularity tension engine (131 S class set) |
| 🗺️ Map | [Problem Map 1.0](/ProblemMap/README.md) | Flagship 16 problem RAG failure taxonomy and fix map |
| 🗺️ Map | [Problem Map 2.0](/ProblemMap/wfgy-rag-16-problem-map-global-debug-card.md) | Global Debug Card for RAG and agent pipeline diagnosis |
| 🗺️ Map | [Problem Map 3.0](/ProblemMap/wfgy-ai-problem-map-troubleshooting-atlas.md) | Global AI troubleshooting atlas and failure pattern map |
| 🧰 App | [TXT OS](/OS/README.md) | .txt semantic OS with fast bootstrap |
| 🧰 App | [Blah Blah Blah](/OS/BlahBlahBlah/README.md) | Abstract and paradox Q&A built on TXT OS |
| 🧰 App | [Blur Blur Blur](/OS/BlurBlurBlur/README.md) | Text to image generation with semantic control |
| 🏡 Onboarding | [Starter Village](/StarterVillage/README.md) | Guided entry point for new users |
If this repository helped, starring it improves discovery so more builders can find the docs and tools.
[](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY)