# Customer identity and conversation visibility permissions

An operator permission controls whether customer identity and other operators' conversation content appear in full.

*Release 3.3 · operator, supervisor*

**Settings › Account › Operators** · **Settings › General Settings › Data Fields**

## What it is

**Can view Customer PII and Conversation Data** controls access to customer identity and conversation content. When it is off, protected views replace personal information with stars or withhold certain contact operations. Display masking leaves the stored information available to users who have permission.

## Who uses it and why

Operators see the customer information their account permits. Supervisors use the same permission when reviewing other operators' conversations, so a supervisory role alone should not be taken as permission to see personal data.

## Where to find it

The operator switch is in **Settings › Account › Operators**. Additional data-field classification is in **Settings › General Settings › Data Fields**, using **This field contains PII**.

A user with the **Settings** or **Manager** role can manage operator accounts. The **Settings** role grants access to data-field classification.

## How it works

With the permission enabled, the privacy checks covered here allow full customer identity and conversation content, subject to your other access restrictions.

With the permission disabled:

- Conversations assigned to another operator have masked subjects, non-system message content and customer identity. Conversation summaries and related email exchanges can also be masked.
- Unassigned conversations follow the same masking rule because they are not assigned to you.
- Your own assigned conversations have an exception to this conversation-content masking rule.
- Contact views mask protected identity values. Some contact searches and actions return no data or are unavailable.

Contact and conversation identity masking treats names, email addresses, mobile and telephone numbers and company identity as personal information even if their data-field classification is off. Additional data fields follow their classification. CRM contact panels apply equivalent protection to identity fields and other fields marked as personal information. Some report views also depend on the individual data-field classification, so keep those classifications accurate.

Access to retained AI conversation details can be denied when you lack this permission and the conversation is not assigned to you.

## Configure it

Ask your **Settings** administrator to review **Can view Customer PII and Conversation Data** on your operator account. It is enabled by default for ordinary client operators unless explicitly changed.

When defining extra personal-information fields, a user with the **Settings** role can set **This field contains PII** in **Settings › General Settings › Data Fields**. Clearing that option on a core identity field does not remove its identity protection.

### Settings

| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This field contains PII | Settings › General Settings › Data Fields | website | Off for new custom fields | Settings role | Classifies an additional data field as personal information for privacy handling; core identity fields remain protected independently. |

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Can view Customer PII and Conversation Data | Allows unmasked customer identity and conversation data in the views that apply this permission; on by default for ordinary client operators. |

## Limits and good to know

- Masking can differ between contact views and assigned-conversation views. The own-conversation exception does not make every contact action available.
- Display masking does not erase data or replace the separate deletion process.
- A field such as company size is not automatically company identity. Its own classification determines whether it is personal information.
- This permission is separate from card-number masking and from internal-comment audience controls.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Configured in** [Operator accounts](ADM-007.md): The permission is held on the individual operator account.
- **Configured in** [Operator settings](ADM-010.md): Operator configuration contains the personal-data access switch.
- **Configured in** [CRM form field configuration](CRM-020.md): Additional CRM fields use their personal-information classification; core CRM identity fields are protected regardless.
- **Configured in** [Virtual Assistant task data fields](ENG-012.md): Data-field classification determines which additional workflow fields count as personal information.
- **Related** [Conversation history and search](CHAT-024.md): History views apply personal-data restrictions when displaying retained conversations.
- **Related** [Customer contact details](CRM-001.md): Contact profiles apply identity masking separately from the exception for your assigned conversations.

### Used by

- **Configures** [Visitor data mapping for targeting](VIS-007.md): Personal-information permissions and masking affect displayed values.
- **Configures** [Current Chat workspace and panels](CON-014.md): Personal-data access affects the information visible when conversation ownership changes.
- **Configures** [History and message inspection](CON-016.md): Personal-data access determines what transcript information is visible.
- **Configures** [Visitor and conversation information panels](CON-017.md): Personal-data permissions determine which values are visible and editable.
- **Configures** [Conversation history and search](CHAT-024.md): Personal-data permissions can mask identity and message content.
- **Configures** [Redacting and permanently deleting conversation data](CHAT-032.md): Personal-data permissions determine restricted conversation views.
- **Configures** [Virtual Assistant task data fields](ENG-012.md): Personal-information access rules also affect operator visibility.
- **Configures** [AI conversation summaries](AI-009.md): Personal-data access affects whether a summary is visible to the reviewing operator.
- **Configures** [Customer goals and AI progress tracking](AI-021.md): Personal-data permission controls access to goals in conversations assigned to another operator.
- **Configures** [AI conversation plans and task progress](AI-022.md): Personal-data permission controls access to plans in conversations assigned to another operator.
- **Configures** [Conversation lead capture and follow-up](COM-026.md): Personal-data access controls affect lead creation and displayed contact information.
- **Configures** [Purchase details and conversion credit](COM-030.md): Customer and conversation data access remains subject to personal-data permissions.
- **Configures** [Customer contact details](CRM-001.md): Personal-data permission controls access to contact details.
- **Configures** [Contact merge preview and assignment](CRM-004.md): Personal-data permission controls visibility of the conflict notification and contact details.
- **Configures** [Address book and contact actions](CRM-006.md): Contact search requires permission to view customer personal data.
- **Configures** [Salesforce contacts](CRM-011.md): Personal-data permission affects access to customer details.
- **Configures** [Salesforce leads and Zendesk contact creation](CRM-013.md): Personal-data access affects availability of the operator lead action.
- **Configures** [Dynamics 365 connection and customer records](CRM-015.md): Personal-data permissions affect the CRM profile details an operator can see.
- **Configures** [Zendesk tickets and contacts](CRM-019.md): Personal-data permissions and configured view fields affect CRM profile display.
- **Configures** [CRM form field configuration](CRM-020.md): Personal-data permission works with supported CRM view-field markings.
- **Configures** [Conversation detail and abandonment reports](REP-006.md): Customer-data permission and field classification affect visible contact information.
- **Configures** [Product recommendation and purchase reports](REP-009.md): Customer-data permission affects protected appointment contact details.
- **Configures** [Customer survey and NPS reports](REP-010.md): Customer-data permissions affect protected pre-chat contact fields.
- **Configures** [Ticket reports](REP-011.md): Customer-data permission affects protected email addresses.
- **Configures** [Website, channel and subsite access](ADM-009.md): Access to customer personal and conversation data has a separate operator control.
- **Enhances** [Internal comments](CHAT-014.md): Personal-data permission can mask content even when an operator can access the conversation.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Why can I read my conversation but see stars in another operator's conversation?

Your permission may be off. Assigned conversations have an exception, while other operators' and unassigned conversations are masked.

### Why is an email address masked when its data-field option is off?

Contact and conversation identity masking protects core identity fields independently of that option. Some report views also depend on the field's classification.

### Has the customer's information been deleted?

Display masking alone does not delete it. Another operator with permission can still receive the full stored values.

### Why is a contact search empty?

Some contact operations require personal-data permission. Ask your **Settings** administrator to review your account before treating an empty result as proof that the contact does not exist.