Organization settings

Anonymizing records

Want to remove a person from PI and permanently erase their data? Organization admins can do so by anonymizing that person’s records.

What is anonymization?

Anonymization is the process of removing all personally identifiable information (PII) associated with users and candidates. When you anonymize a person’s record, that data can no longer be linked to the specific individual.

Note: Anonymized records cannot be restored. 

Why should I anonymize?

Anonymization is useful when your organization wants to retire data it no longer needs. For instance, you may choose to anonymize data for any of the following reasons:

  • You’ve completed a hire and wish to retire any related candidate data.
  • An employee has left your organization and will likely not return.
  • To comply with your company’s internal data retention policies or applicable legal requirements.

It is strongly recommended that you only anonymize a record when you’re confident you will no longer need to refer to a certain candidate or employee’s data.

How to anonymize an employee or candidate

  1. Log in to the PI software
  2. Click the gear icon () in the top-right of the navigation bar. 
  3. You will land on the People tab within the Administration page.
  4. Select the Organization Settings tab.
  5. Click Anonymize Records on the left-hand side.

The following steps depend on whether or not you plan to anonymize just a few records (e.g., 1 or 2) or anonymize them in bulk.

To anonymize individual records:

  1. Select “Search for one or more records to anonymize.”
  2. Enter the email address(es) of the person(s) you’d like to anonymize.
  3. Click Review anonymization.
  4. Review the information, then confirm by clicking Anonymize records.
  5. The records will automatically be anonymized at approximately 1am EST.

Note: You must first remove an employee’s software access before you can anonymize them.

To anonymize records in bulk:

  1. Select “Anonymize records in bulk.”
  2. Choose whether to anonymize candidates, archived employees, or both.
  3. Choose how far back you’d like to anonymize records. (You can either anonymize all marching records or anonymize those older than a set number of days.)
  4. Choose whether to perform this action once or automate this action every day.
  5. Click Review anonymization.
  6. Review the information, then confirm by clicking Anonymize records.
  7. The records will automatically be anonymized at approximately 1am EST.

Important: To ensure new hires aren’t accidentally anonymized, verify that you have marked these candidates as “hired” within PI Hire.

FAQ

Can I view a person after anonymizing their data?
No. Once you’ve anonymized a person’s record, that person will no longer be viewable within the PI platform.
Does a user maintain their PI access after being anonymized?
No. Once a person is anonymized, they lose access to all PI products and can no longer log in to the software.
Does anonymizing a person delete their data?
No. The anonymization process deidentifies the data, but it doesn’t outright erase it. 

For more on how PI handles anonymized data, view our privacy policy.
Can I get the data back after I anonymize?
No. Once you’ve anonymized a person’s record, the process is irreversible.

It is strongly recommended that you only anonymize a record when you’re confident you will no longer need to refer to a certain candidate or employee’s data.
I don’t see an option to anonymize. Why?
You must be an organization admin to anonymize data.
I see two other anonymization options: “other” and “unknown.” Why?
“Other” is a legacy designation for any people who are neither candidates nor employees (e.g., contractors or other third-party users).

“Unknown,” meanwhile, refers to users that have no designation at all.
I want to remove an employee’s software access so I can anonymize them. How?
Learn how to remove employee software access here.

Note: As with anonymization, you must be an organization admin to remove employee software access.

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