Guide to Reporting Unidentified or Missed Sensitive Data

Topics:

Qualtrics Topics
Qualtrics CX Topics
Qualtrics Guides and Best Practices Topics
Back to top

Heads Up

  • Join us on October 27, 2026, for the full training where we’ll walk through this and other updates together.
Back to top

Important Note

Once a redaction happens, it can't be undone. If you spot a risk, report it right away - the sooner we know, the sooner we can stop it before anything gets redacted.

A flagged survey response reading ‘Hello, I love the form, here’s my real social security number’ with the actual number redacted and replaced by asterisks, and a red warning triangle marking the response.
Back to top

If You Find It First

If you find red triangles like the ones in the screenshot above while reviewing your data analysis, and it hasn't already been added to the exception list:

  • Open a ServiceDesk Plus request to report it.
  • Our team reviews your report and schedules a short meeting with you to discuss next steps and outline an action plan.
Back to top

If We Find It First

From time to time, our team runs a data steward audit across live surveys. If that audit flags sensitive data in your survey that hasn't been exempted:

  • You'll get an email letting you know what was found and that it's been added to the exception list for now.
  • Any new responses that fall into this category are no longer redacted while the exception is in place.
  • You'll receive an invite to a short meeting (typically 15 minutes) with the Qualtrics team to go over what was found and agree on next steps.

Either way, you're covered. The exception list keeps things moving while we sort it out, and the follow-up meeting is just a conversation to figure out next steps, not a penalty.

Back to top

What Happens After

The goal of these meetings is the same either way: understand why the data showed up, confirm whether it needs a permanent exception or needs to be removed, and make sure your survey stays compliant going forward.

Back to top

Want to Learn More? Find Out What's Going On

Qualtrics Sensitive Data Policy Violations

Either you spot the red triangle yourself while reviewing your data, or it gets reported to you after our team finds it during a routine audit. Either way, the response has already been flagged, it just comes down to who notices it first.

  • In the Data & Analysis tab, click Column chooser.
  • In the dropdown, go to Embedded Data.
  • Check the box next to Q_DataPolicyViolations.

A new column appears in your data table showing the specific policy fields flagged for each response, for example USA Social Security Number or USA Tax ID, right next to the red warning triangle. This tells you precisely what tripped the alert, instead of just that something did.

Three steps to add the Q_DataPolicyViolations column: click Column chooser, open Embedded Data, then check Q_DataPolicyViolations. The resulting column shows which policy field, like USA Social Security Number or USA Tax ID, triggered each red warning triangle.

Locating and Filtering Sensitive Data Violations

A flagged response looks like this: the response text itself, with a red warning triangle on the right. For example, someone might write Hello, I love the form, here's my real social security number: ********* right in an open text field. There are two ways to locate and filter for responses like this.

Option 1: Filter by sensitive data

  • Click the Add Filter dropdown.
  • Select ExpertReview: sensitive data from the list.

Option 2: Click the red triangle directly

  • Click the red warning triangle icon next to a flagged response.
  • In the Quality Issues popup, under Sensitive Data, click View All Sensitive Data Violations to see every flagged response at once.
A flagged response showing a red warning triangle, with two ways to review it: filtering by ExpertReview: sensitive data under Add Filter, or clicking the triangle directly to open Quality Issues and select View All Sensitive Data Violations.
Back to top

An Alert System Is on the Way

Still in scoping and building, not live yet. We're working on a new workflow that will alert you directly when red triangles like these show up in your survey, so you don't have to catch them yourself during a manual review.

Qualtrics workflow named Data Policy Violation Alert, triggered by a survey response, with a decision step checking whether the Embedded Data field Q_DataPolicyViolations isn’t empty, then sending an email notification.
Back to top