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Comparison

Blindfold vs Google Cloud DLP

Both detect and protect PII, but Blindfold offers a simpler API, built-in compliance policies, and works outside the Google Cloud ecosystem.

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At a glance

FeatureBlindfoldGoogle Cloud DLP
TypeManaged APIGCP service
Cloud lock-inNone — works anywhereGoogle Cloud only
PII methods7 (tokenize, redact, mask, hash, synthesize, encrypt, detect)Inspect + de-identify (redact, mask, crypto, bucketing)
Reversible tokenizationYes — tokenize + detokenizeCrypto-based (requires KMS)
Compliance policiesGDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, strictNone built-in
Data residencyEU (Frankfurt) / US (Virginia)GCP region dependent
InfoTypesAuto-detected per policy200+ (manual configuration)
Setup complexityAPI key — 2 minutesGCP project + service account + IAM + API enable
Languages18+Varies by infoType
PricingFree tier + usage-basedPer GB inspected/transformed

Key differences

Simple API vs complex GCP setup

Blindfold requires an API key — that's it. Google Cloud DLP requires a GCP project, enabling the DLP API, creating a service account, configuring IAM permissions, and learning the DLP-specific request format. The learning curve is significant.

Reversible tokenization built-in

Blindfold's tokenize/detokenize is a core feature that works out of the box. Google Cloud DLP offers cryptographic de-identification via Cloud KMS, but it requires setting up KMS keys, configuring crypto transforms, and managing the key lifecycle yourself.

No cloud lock-in

Blindfold works with any cloud provider, framework, or language. Google Cloud DLP is a GCP-only service — if you use it, your PII detection pipeline is tied to Google Cloud infrastructure.

Compliance policies vs manual configuration

Blindfold has pre-configured compliance policies (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS) that select the right infoTypes and thresholds automatically. With Cloud DLP, you manually specify which of the 200+ infoTypes to scan for and configure custom likelihood thresholds.

When to choose each

Choose Blindfold when

  • You need reversible tokenization without managing KMS keys
  • You want to avoid Google Cloud lock-in
  • You prefer a simple API over complex GCP configuration
  • You need built-in compliance policies
  • You want a free tier to get started

Choose Google Cloud DLP when

  • You're already deeply invested in Google Cloud
  • You need to scan BigQuery, Cloud Storage, or Datastore natively
  • You need very specific infoType detectors from the 200+ catalog
  • You want to use DLP with other GCP data tools (Dataflow, etc.)

Code comparison

Blindfold
from blindfold import Blindfold

client = Blindfold()

# Detect PII with GDPR policy
result = client.detect(
    text, policy="gdpr_eu"
)

# Tokenize — reversible
safe = client.tokenize(text)
Google Cloud DLP
import google.cloud.dlp_v2

client = google.cloud.dlp_v2.DlpServiceClient()

inspect_config = {
    "info_types": [
        {"name": "PERSON_NAME"},
        {"name": "EMAIL_ADDRESS"},
        {"name": "PHONE_NUMBER"},
    ],
    "min_likelihood": "LIKELY",
}

resp = client.inspect_content(
    request={
        "parent": f"projects/{project}",
        "inspect_config": inspect_config,
        "item": {
            "value": text
        },
    }
)

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