SIN
Detects SIN patterns. This pattern is based on a Microsoft Purview built-in sensitive information type. Users already running Purview may prefer to enable the built-in SIT directly, or use this version as a starting point for customisation.
- Type
- regex
- Engine
- boost_regex
- Confidence
- medium
- Confidence justification
- Medium confidence: pattern has structural constraints but corroborative keywords are recommended to reduce false positive rates.
- Detection quality
- Mixed
- Jurisdictions
- ca
- Regulations
- Law 25 (QC), PIPEDA
- Frameworks
- ISO 27001, ISO 27701
- Data categories
- pii, government-id
- Scope
- narrow
- Risk rating
- 9
- Platform compatibility
- Purview: Compatible, GCP DLP: Compatible, Macie: Compatible, Zscaler: Compatible, Palo Alto: Compatible, Netskope: Compatible
Pattern
\b[1-79]\d{2}[- ]?\d{3}[- ]?\d{3}\bCorroborative evidence keywords
identifier, number, ID, ID number, identification, ID card, license, permit, registration, certificate
Proximity: 300 characters
Should match
123-456-789— Standard Canadian SIN format123 456 789— Space-separated SIN123456789— Continuous SIN digits
Should not match
012-345-678— Starts with 0 (not in valid range 1-7, 9)823-456-789— Starts with 8 (not in valid range 1-7, 9)123-456-78— Only 2 digits in last group instead of 3
Known false positives
- Common words and phrases related to sin appearing in policy documents, training materials, HR templates, or compliance guidelines without actual personal data. Mitigation: Require corroborative evidence keywords within the proximity window to confirm sensitive data context rather than general discussion.
- In English and French (Canada), similar terminology used in formal or administrative contexts (education, professional documentation) that does not constitute sensitive data collection. Mitigation: Layer with additional contextual signals such as structured identifiers, form fields, or database column headers to distinguish sensitive records from general references.