Firearm license number

Identifies documents containing references to firearm license number in Australian contexts. This information type is classified as personally identifiable information under the Privacy Act 1988.

Type

regex

Engine

boost_regex

Confidence

medium

Confidence justification

identifier/document-structure anchored regex with constrained context replaces phrase-only detection. Added context gating and exclusion rules improve precision and reduce incidental matches.

Detection quality

Topic false positive

Jurisdictions

global

Regulations

AML/CTF Act (Cth), IPA 2009 (Qld), NDB Scheme (Cth), Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), GDPR

Frameworks

ISO 27001, ISO 27701

Data categories

government-id, pii

Scope

wide

Risk rating

5

Platform compatibility

Purview: Compatible, GCP DLP: Compatible, Macie: Compatible, Zscaler: Compatible, Palo Alto: Degraded, Netskope: Unsupported

Pattern

(?i)\b(?:firearms?\s+licen[cs]e\s+numbers?|weapons?\s+licen[cs]e\s+numbers?|shooter\s+licen[cs]e\s+numbers?|firearms?\s+permit\s+numbers?)\b

Corroborative evidence keywords

firearm license number, firearm, license, number, government, ids, civil, status, drivers licence, driver licence, drivers license, driver license, [object Object], licence number, license number, file number, reference number, case number, record number, account number (+19 more)

Proximity: 300 characters

Should match

• Firearm license number — Topic phrase present
• firearm license number — Topic phrase, lowercase
• this record references the firearm license number held on file — Topic phrase within surrounding text
• Weapons licence number recorded by Queensland Police. — Australian licensing terminology (AU spelling) is in scope
• NSW firearms licence number held by the registry — Plural firearms with AU licence spelling
• Application guide: enter firearm licence number. — A concept SIT intentionally locates the reference even in guidance

Should not match

• unrelated generic text — No relevant phrase context
• placeholder value 12345 — Random text should not match phrase marker
• generic narrative without identifier/document anchors — Should not match plain mention
• template example placeholder record identifier — Template/sample context should be excluded even when anchor words are present
• Software licence number 7788. — Licence number without firearm/weapons context must not classify
• Safe storage guidance for firearms. — Firearm topic without licence-number language is insufficient

Known false positives

• Common words and phrases related to firearm license number 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 Australian English, 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.
• High-frequency pattern matches in large document corpora due to broad regex anchors. Expected match rate is significantly higher than specific identifier patterns. Mitigation: Tune confidence thresholds for bulk scanning. Consider using this pattern primarily as a pre-filter with secondary validation.

References

• https://www.passports.gov.au/apply-or-renew
• https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/tax-file-number
• https://www.abr.business.gov.au/FAQ/ABNBasics
• https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/already-have-a-visa/check-visa-details-and-conditions/overview
• https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/how-to-prove-your-identity-with-centrelink
• https://www.aec.gov.au/enrol/
• https://www.nsw.gov.au/family-and-relationships/births/birth-certificates
• https://www.afp.gov.au/our-services/national-police-checks