Tokenisation

This is related to the process of replacing sensitive information such as credit card numbers, bank details or personal data with a unique value known as a token. The token itself has no meaningful value outside of the specific system that is has been created for, this means that even if it is intercepted or accessed by an unauthorised party, the original data remains protected. 

Tokenisation is commonly used in cybersecurity, digital payment systems and data protection practices to reduce the risk of fraud and data breaches. An example of this would be when a customer makes an online payment the actual card details will be replaced with a token before being stored or transferred. This allows businesses to process transactions securely without exposing sensitive information directly.

By limiting how often real data is handled or stored, tokenisation helps organisations strengthen security, support compliance with data protection regulations and build greater trust with customers.