What Is Selective Encryption?
Definition: Selective encryption is a data protection method that encrypts only the sensitive elements within a file or dataset while leaving the non-sensitive content usable, searchable, and compatible with collaboration and AI workflows.
Unlike full-file encryption, selective encryption preserves context and functionality while enforcing protection at the
object or field level.
Why Selective Encryption Exists
Traditional encryption was designed for storage and transport, not for modern data usage.
Today's data
Is shared across teams, tools, and third parties
Moves through collaboration platforms, SaaS apps, and AI systems
Must remain usable, searchable, and analyzable.
Full-file encryption forces an all-or-nothing tradeoff: protect the data or use it.
Selective encryption exists to eliminate that tradeoff.
What Selective Encryption Solves
Selective encryption enables organizations to:
Protect sensitive data without breaking collaboration
Enforce access controls that persist when files are shared externally
Prevent sensitive data from entering AI training, RAG, or embeddings
Maintain usability for non-sensitive content
Apply Zero Trust principles directly at the data layer
Protection becomes granular, portable, and enforceable. Not restrictive.
What Most Organizations Get Wrong About Encryption
Many security strategies fail because they assume encryption must apply to entire files or systems.
Common misconceptions include:
Encrypting the whole file is safer
This often forces users to bypass controls to get work done.
Encryption is incompatible with AI
This is only true for coarse, full-file encryption.
IRM and permissions are enough
These controls break once data leaves the system.
When encryption eliminates usability, it eliminates adoption.
Full-file encryption: Breaks search, collaboration, and AI workflows
IRM/DRM: Relies on applications and identities, not data
Tokenization: Often removes context AI systems need
Access controls: Do not persist once data is copied or transformed
Selective Encryption
vs Common Alternatives
Selective encryption protects only what must be protected, where it matters.
How Confidencial Defines
Selective Encryption
Context-preserving protection
Compatibility with AI workflows and vectorization
Policy enforcement that travels with the data
Auditable access at a granular level
Confidencial defines selective encryption as cryptographically protecting sensitive data at the object or field level while preserving the surrounding context required for collaboration, analytics, and AI.
This is achieved through:
Protection is embedded into the data itself, not wrapped around it.
Why Selective Encryption Matters for AI
AI systems require context to function. Full-file encryption removes that context. Selective encryption preserves it.
​
With selective encryption:
• Sensitive entities remain protected
• Non-sensitive text remains usable
• AI systems can operate without ingesting protected data
• Organizations avoid irreversible exposure during training or inference
Where Selective Encryption Is Used in Practice
Selective encryption is applied wherever sensitive data must remain usable:​
Unstructured documents containing PII, PHI, or IP
Shared files with external partners
AI training datasets and RAG pipelines
Collaboration tools and document workflows
Data subject to regulatory or contractual controls
Engineered for control. Architected for precision.