Device IMEI numbers

Identifies documents containing references to device imei numbers in Australian contexts. This information type is classified as personally identifiable information under applicable data protection regulations. Detection is phrase-level concept matching anchored on explicit IMEI, TAC, and equipment-identity vocabulary; it does not parse or Luhn-validate 15-digit IMEI values.

Type

regex

Engine

boost_regex

Confidence

medium

Confidence justification

category-aware structural regex with anchor and context constraints replaces phrase-only detection. Added context gating and exclusion rules improve precision and reduce incidental matches.

Detection quality

Topic false positive

Jurisdictions

global

Regulations

SOCI Act 2018 (Cth), TIA Act 1979 (Cth), GDPR

Frameworks

CIS Controls, DISP, ISO 27001, NIST CSF, SOC 2

Data categories

pii

Scope

wide

Risk rating

5

Platform compatibility

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

Pattern

(?is)\b(?:device\s+IMEI\s+numbers|IMEI\s+number|handset\s+identifier|type\s+allocation\s+code|equipment\s+identity)\b

Corroborative evidence keywords

device imei numbers, device, imei, numbers, contact, location, data, fax, facsimile, toll free, hotline, helpline, [object Object], [object Object], country code, area code, extension, ext, data record, database record (+22 more)

Proximity: 300 characters

Should match

• device IMEI numbers — Primary topic phrase match
• imei number — Case-insensitive topic phrase match
• equipment identity — Alternative topic phrase match
• type allocation code — Additional topic phrase match

Should not match

• unrelated generic text without domain phrases — No relevant topic phrases present
• placeholder value 12345 — Random text should not match topic-specific regex
• address mac — Generic word pair from old broad template should not match
• Mobile device management policy — Generic mobile-device wording demoted out of the primary - MDM policy prose must not anchor the SIT
• asset serial number register — Generic serial-number wording demoted out of the primary - asset inventories must not anchor the SIT

Known false positives

• Common words and phrases related to device imei numbers 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.oaic.gov.au/privacy/your-privacy-rights/your-personal-information/what-is-personal-information
• https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/your-privacy-rights/your-personal-information/what-is-sensitive-information
• https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/australian-privacy-principles-guidelines
• https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/check-a-vehicle-registration
• https://www.gsma.com/get-involved/working-groups/terminal-steering-group/imei-database/
• https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-E.118.1/en