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MC1227624: Microsoft Purview | Removing support for relaxed proximity matching in out-of-box sensitive information types

By: Author Alex Lim

Posted on

Categories Update

Home » Update » MC1227624: Microsoft Purview | Removing support for relaxed proximity matching in out-of-box sensitive information types

Summary

  • Microsoft Purview’s out-of-box sensitive information types will have stricter proximity matching rules for improved accuracy.
  • Relaxed proximity matching previously used will be removed, potentially leading to fewer detections.
  • Organizations relying on out-of-box sensitive information types in DLP policies may need to review and adjust their policies.
  • Custom sensitive information types can still utilize broader proximity logic if necessary.
  • This change will impact both administrators and users, as it may modify detection behavior in existing workflows.

Admin Impact: High
User Impact: Low
Release Start: 06 Feb 2026
Release End: 06 Feb 2026
Services: Purview
Category: Stay informed
Tags: Feature Update, User Adoption, Admin Action

History

2/6/2026 Item Added to Message Center

Microsoft Message

Introduction

We are updating Microsoft Purview’s out-of-box (OOB) sensitive information type (SIT) detection logic to improve accuracy and reduce false positives. As part of this update, the relaxed proximity matching behavior previously used in some OOB SITs will be removed. After this change, all OOB SITs will consistently use stricter proximity rules for more consistent and precise detections.

When this will happen

General Availability (Production, GCC, GCC High, DoD): Available now

How this affects your organization

Who is affected:

Organizations using Microsoft Purview out-of-box sensitive information types in data classification or Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies.

What will happen:

  • OOB SITs will stop using the relaxed proximity behavior previously applied in some detection rules.
  • All OOB SITs will consistently use stricter proximity matching rules going forward.
  • Content that previously matched under relaxed proximity conditions may no longer trigger a detection unless it meets the stricter proximity requirements.
  • This may result in fewer detections in scenarios that relied on broader proximity matching.
  • Custom sensitive information types are not affected and can still be configured to use broader proximity logic if required.

What you can do to prepare

  • Review existing DLP and classification policies that rely on OOB SIT detections.
  • Test policy behavior in a non-production environment if broader proximity matching is required for certain workflows.
  • Create custom sensitive information types if your organization needs relaxed proximity logic.

Learn more: Sensitive Information Types in Microsoft Purview

Compliance considerations

Question: Does the change modify, interrupt, or disable Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies or enforcement?

Explanation: Stricter proximity detection may reduce the number of matches, which could indirectly affect DLP behavior.

Question: Does the change modify Information Protection labels or sensitive information types?

Explanation: Out-of-box SITs are updated to retire relaxed proximity matching and use stricter proximity logic.