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Glite Dictionary
📝 To make acceptable 🧼 To clean 💻 To remove sensitive info
to sanitize

to sanitize

2 4.7
Remove or hide personal data from files and inputs to protect privacy
  • verb
  • /ˈsænɪˌtaɪz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : limpiar
  • I don't think it'd be that much more difficult to sanitize any outgoing traffic.

Examples

  • To protect user privacy, developers must sanitize all data entered into the system.

  • Would you be willing to go as far as obfuscating or sanitizing the branding?

    Blog text (1)

  • All information is sanitized.

    Southland Tales (2007)

  • Most responsible websites have sanitized their posted email extracts to remove actual email addresses to discourage feeding the spambots.

    Blog text (15)

  • Congressman Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) suggested in January 1996 remarks that the Clinton administration has been "sanitizing intelligence data" concerning Russia.

    Academic text (1996)

  • These are deleted emails from a sanitized batch that were foolishly or purposely archived or discovered by an insider or whistleblower (perhaps the sanitizer himself).

    Blog text (19)

  • The software automatically sanitizes sensitive information before saving it to the database.

  • Before sharing the report, they need to sanitize the personal details to maintain confidentiality.

Antonyms

to expose
342 4.1

Reveal hidden facts or bad actions to people

How Private

to delete
287 2.0
to anonymize
  • Specialized
1 6.3
to sanitize
  • Specialized
2 4.7
to mask
  • Specialized
10 6.3
to redact
  • Formal
35 7.5

Surface Forms

sanitize infinitive
sanitized past
sanitized past participle
sanitizing present participle
sanitizes third person singular

Morphology

sanitize = sanitary (transparent) = sanit + ize

The verb is built from the health/cleanliness root plus '-ize' and is used metaphorically in computing to mean 'make safe/clean (of harmful or sensitive content)', a domain-specific but conceptually consistent extension.

Etymology

The word sanitize comes from the Latin sanus, meaning 'healthy', and the image of 'cleaning' easily fits data too. So to sanitize data or files is to remove or hide sensitive pieces so the information is safe to share.