When a file is flagged
If file checking is on for your organization, the extension also checks files before they’re attached to an AI tool. That includes files you choose with the AI tool’s upload button, drag onto the page, or paste.
While a file is being checked, a small Scanning file… indicator appears. If nothing sensitive is found, the file is attached as usual.
Sensitive Data Detected in File
If a file contains something your organization protects, it isn’t attached. A warning titled Sensitive Data Detected in File lists each file and what was found in it. File name means the file’s name follows a pattern your organization protects, such as the way it numbers client matters.
You can:
- Remove File: drop the file. This is the safe choice.
- Send Anyway: attach the file as it is. Your organization is told, with the file’s name and the kind of data it contained, but not its contents. If your organization masks file names, it’s told only the file’s type.
To share the useful part safely, remove the sensitive details from the document first, or paste the relevant text into the prompt and use Sanitize Prompt.
Blocked by Policy
If your organization blocks what was found, the warning is titled Blocked by Policy instead, and it has no Send Anyway: the file can’t be attached. If you attached several files at once, none of them is attached while one of them is blocked.
You can Remove File, or click Copy Details for Admin to copy a summary for your administrator if you think the block is a mistake. The summary doesn’t include the file’s contents.
File Could Not Be Scanned
Sometimes the extension can’t read a file. The file isn’t attached, and a warning titled File Could Not Be Scanned gives the reason for each file. The following table lists the reasons.
| Reason shown | What it means |
|---|---|
| Too large to scan (max 15 MB) | The file is larger than 15 MB. |
| This file type cannot be scanned | Sanitized AI can’t check this type of file, or the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file is password-protected. |
| Password-protected… | The PDF is password-protected. |
| No readable text found in this file | The file has no text to check, for example an empty document. |
| File contents could not be read | The file is damaged or in an unexpected format. |
| Images cannot be scanned for sensitive data yet | Sanitized AI can’t read the text in images right now. |
| No readable text found in this image | The image has no text to check. |
| Image text could not be read for scanning | The text in the image couldn’t be read. |
| Protection service unreachable… | Sanitized AI couldn’t be reached. Try again in a moment. |
You can Remove File or Send Anyway. Send the file anyway only if you’re sure it contains nothing sensitive. Your organization is told when you do.
Your organization can also recognize files by their name. If a file’s name follows a pattern your organization protects, you may see Sensitive Data Detected in File or Blocked by Policy instead, even though the file couldn’t be read.
Which files can be checked
- PDF documents
- Word documents (
.docx) - Excel workbooks (
.xlsx) - PowerPoint presentations (
.pptx) - Plain text files
Images and screenshots: if image checking is on for your organization, the text in them is checked.
Other types, such as older Office formats (.doc, .xls, .ppt), show
File Could Not Be Scanned.
Files that you add from a cloud storage service inside the AI tool, such as Google Drive, aren’t checked.