Data loss prevention systems inspect content in email, web traffic, and endpoint activity, identifying sensitive data patterns and blocking or flagging transmission. Rules may target identifiers, document classifications, or matter-specific content.
Deployment includes endpoint, network, and cloud components.
Alternative Names:
DLP, Data Leak Prevention
Why it Matters?
The realistic legal use case is preventing accidental disclosure rather than stopping deliberate exfiltration, since a determined person can usually circumvent these controls. Blocking a document classified as attorneys' eyes only from leaving the network, or flagging protected health information in outbound email, addresses the mistakes that actually cause most disclosures. Tuning matters, because false positives that block legitimate work produce workarounds that defeat the control.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What does DLP realistically prevent?
Why does tuning matter?
