-- Innovative Routines International (IRI), Inc., a longstanding developer of data management and protection software, detailed an enhancement to its DarkShield data masking tool that extends protection to sensitive information contained in audio files. This development aligns with the company’s broader mission of supporting organizations with comprehensive data governance solutions that safeguard sensitive information across structured, semi-structured, and unstructured environments.
IRI has focused on privacy, compliance, and operational integrity throughout its suite of tools, including IRI Data Protector and the DarkShield technology. The addition of audio file masking responds to increasing oversight surrounding recorded interactions — an area that has grown significantly across customer support operations, interview archives, and AI data generation tools.
Regulatory bodies such as France’s CNIL classify voice recordings and voiceprints as personal data, requiring the same attention as traditional written formats. However, many organizations have historically managed audio separately from other data privacy initiatives, creating blind spots that could place them at risk of privacy violations.
The DarkShield enhancement provides masking coverage for common audio formats such as WAV, MP3, and MPEG. The system uses an AI-driven speech-to-text process to generate transcripts from spoken material and applies DarkShield’s existing detection and masking rules to identify entities such as names, account numbers, or health-related details.
Once discovered, DarkShield masks the related audio segments through configurable tones, silence, bleeps, or full removal. This allows organizations to preserve confidentiality in both the textual and auditory layers of recorded content.
A spokesperson for IRI explained, “Extending protection to audio files allows governance and security teams to maintain consistent standards across every data type they manage. Many organizations need a unified approach, and this step helps align their privacy operations with evolving regulatory expectations.”
This enhancement integrates into existing workflows, enabling GRC teams, CISOs, and data security architects to maintain centralized control of governance activities, audit trails, and validation methods. By incorporating audio masking directly into data protection processes, organizations can reduce manual redaction work, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen compliance under frameworks including GDPR, CPRA, and HIPAA.
The spokesperson added, “Audio data has historically been difficult to manage within traditional data protection programs. By addressing this gap, DarkShield supports the continuity and integrity of enterprise-wide privacy governance.”
DarkShield’s extended coverage complements IRI’s commitment to providing comprehensive data governance solutions across all data sources. With organizations increasingly depending on recorded interactions and AI training materials, the ability to detect and protect sensitive content within audio files further reinforces data protection strategies that extend across diverse information assets.
About Us: Innovative Routines International (IRI), Inc., founded in 1978 and headquartered in Florida’s Space Coast, is a leading developer of data management and protection software. The company provides a range of data governance solutions through platforms like the IRI Data Protector suite, designed to help organizations discover, classify, mask, and govern sensitive information across structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data sources.
Contact Info:
Name: David Friedland
Email: Send Email
Organization: Innovative Routines International (IRI), Inc.
Address: 2194 Highway A1A, 3rd Floor Melbourne, FL 32937-4932 USA
Phone: +1.321.777.8889
Website: https://www.iri.com/
Release ID: 89177879
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