Data redaction is a feature of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to remove PII from the data collected by website events before they are sent to Google Analytics Servers.

Any information that reveals an individual’s identity, contact or location is a PII.

Examples of PII: email addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, names of the users, precise location of users, etc.

If you are found to collect PII in GA, then you may end up losing your GA account for good.

Google has implemented strict data privacy measures in GA4 to protect user data. It automatically masks any PII data if it detects it. However, sometimes, PII data can still slip into your GA4 reports.

Redacted values will appear as “(redacted)” in your GA4 reports.

Leaking users’ personal information in GA4 reports is against Google Analytics’ terms of service, risking the shutdown of your GA4 property.

Note: The data redaction feature only applies to web data streams.

How to implement data redaction in GA4?

Follow the steps below:

1. Identify Redactable Data.

2. Navigate to Data Redaction Settings.

3. Redact Email Data.

4. Identify and Redact URL Query Parameters.

5. Test Your Redaction Settings.

6. Wait and Verify.