How-to
How to remove SIN, UCI and passport numbers from documents before using AI
Replace every identifying number before the document reaches an AI: Social Insurance Numbers, IRCC UCIs and file numbers, passport and permit numbers, US Social Security numbers, A-numbers and EINs, and financial account numbers. Canada's Privacy Act lists "any identifying number" assigned to a person as personal information. Check scans, form grids and passport machine-readable lines, where numbers break across lines, and read the copy before sharing.
Last reviewed · 3 sources
Why numbers matter more than they look
A name can be shared by thousands of people; a SIN or passport number points to one. Employment and Social Development Canada's SIN Code of Practice calls the SIN "a confidential number used strictly for administrative purposes" and tells organizations never to use it "as a piece of identification or as a client identification number."
US federal court rules draw the same line for filings: only "the last four digits of the social-security number and taxpayer-identification number" and of a financial-account number may appear.
The numbers in a typical client file
| Number | Where it appears |
|---|---|
| SIN (Canada) | T4s, notices of assessment, employment records, IRCC forms |
| UCI and IRCC application numbers | IRCC correspondence, forms, refusal letters |
| Passport number | Passport scans (including the machine-readable lines), visas, travel history |
| PR card and permit numbers | Work and study permits, PR cards |
| SSN, A-number, EIN (US) | USCIS notices, tax returns, employer letters |
| Account and card numbers | Bank statements, pay stubs, invoices |
Where manual removal fails
- Scans: OCR can split a number across lines or misread digits, so a search finds nothing
- Form grids: one digit per box, with spaces between
- Passport machine-readable zones: the number sits inside a string of letters and chevrons
- Numbers welded to labels in extracted text, such as "SIN:046454286"
Where PiBye fits
How PiBye handles this
PiBye recognizes SINs, UCIs and IRCC file numbers, passport numbers including the machine-readable lines of a passport scan, PR card and permit numbers, US SSNs, A-numbers and EINs, card numbers and IBANs, including in scans through on-device OCR. Detection is not perfect, so every replacement is shown to you before a copy is approved.
1.0.1 · macOS 14.8.5 or later · Apple Silicon · 1.1 GB
Frequently asked questions
Is keeping the last four digits enough?
For US court filings, the rules allow the last four digits. For an AI prompt, the task rarely needs any part of the number, so replace it entirely.
What about numbers that are not personal, like statute citations?
Some look like a SIN. PiBye's own test battery found statute citations shaped like nine-digit numbers; review decides what to keep.
Sources
- Privacy Act, section 3 (definitions), Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada. Checked 25 September 2026.
- Social Insurance Number Code of Practice, Employment and Social Development Canada. Checked 25 September 2026.
- Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 5.2: privacy protection for filings made with the court, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Checked 25 September 2026.