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Anonymization rules allow you to automatically remove or anonymize personal information from leads after a specified period. This helps you comply with data protection regulations like GDPR by ensuring you don't retain personal data longer than necessary.

What is data anonymization

Data anonymization is the process of removing or obscuring personally identifiable information (PII) from records so that individuals can no longer be identified. In Hubhus, anonymization rules automatically process leads that exceed a certain age, removing sensitive fields while preserving non-personal data for reporting and analysis.

Accessing anonymization settings

Go to Account → Anonymization settings. You will see a table showing existing anonymization rules organized by campaign, along with options to create new rules.

Why use anonymization rules

Anonymization rules help you:

• Comply with GDPR and other data protection regulations
• Minimize data retention risks
• Automatically clean up old personal data
• Maintain operational data while removing PII
• Demonstrate responsible data handling practices

Creating a new anonymization rule

Click the button to create a new anonymization rule for a campaign. You will need to configure:

• Campaign: Which campaign this rule applies to
• Age limit: How long leads should be kept before anonymization (e.g., 2 years)
• PII fields: Which fields contain personal information that should be anonymized

Understanding the 7-day waiting period

When you create or edit anonymization rules, there is a mandatory waiting period of 7 days before the rule takes effect. This safety mechanism ensures you have time to review the configuration and prevents accidental data loss.

During rule creation, you will see a notification listing all users who will be notified about the pending anonymization rule change. This provides transparency and allows team members to raise concerns if needed.

Setting age limits

The age limit determines how long leads are retained before anonymization. For example, setting "2 years" means leads older than 2 years will be anonymized.

The system shows you how many leads in the campaign currently exceed the age limit, helping you understand the impact before activating the rule.

Selecting PII fields to anonymize

Choose which fields contain personally identifiable information that should be removed or anonymized. Common PII fields include:

• Kontaktperson (Contact person name)
• E-mail (Email address)
• Phone numbers
• Addresses
• Other custom fields containing personal data

You can select multiple fields. When anonymization runs, the selected fields will be cleared or replaced with anonymized values.

How anonymization works

Once an anonymization rule is active and leads exceed the specified age limit:

1. The system identifies leads older than the age limit
2. Selected PII fields are cleared or anonymized
3. Non-personal data (dates, statuses, numerical values) remains intact
4. The anonymization is logged for audit purposes
5. Anonymized leads can still be used for reporting and analysis

Managing existing rules

In the anonymization settings table, you can:

• View all active anonymization rules by campaign
• See when rules were created and last updated
• Edit existing rules (triggers a new 7-day waiting period)
• Delete rules if no longer needed

Show counts in table

Enable the "Show counts in table" checkbox to display statistics about how many leads in each campaign are currently older than the configured age limit. This helps you monitor the effectiveness of your anonymization rules.

Best practices

To ensure effective data anonymization:

• Set age limits based on your legal requirements and business needs
• Review which fields truly contain PII and need anonymization
• Communicate anonymization policies to your team
• Regularly audit anonymization rules to ensure they're working as expected
• Document your data retention policies
• Consider keeping non-PII data for legitimate business analysis
• Test rules on a small campaign before applying broadly

Compliance considerations

Anonymization rules help with GDPR compliance, but remember:

• You must have a lawful basis for processing personal data initially
• Anonymization should align with your privacy policy
• Some regulations may require complete deletion rather than anonymization
• Consult legal counsel to ensure your approach meets applicable requirements
• Document your data retention and anonymization policies

Summary

Anonymization rules provide automatic, scheduled removal of personal information from old leads, helping you comply with data protection regulations while maintaining useful business data. Configure rules per campaign with appropriate age limits and PII field selections, understand the 7-day safety waiting period, and regularly review rules to ensure ongoing compliance. This protects both your customers' privacy and your organization's legal standing.

Related articles

Configuring data deletion settings
Managing consent declarations
Managing trusted IP addresses
Security settings - Trusted IP addresses
Setting up two-factor authentication (2FA)