YC Startup Preclusio Tackles GDPR Compliance With Machine Learning
Preclusio deploys an on-premises machine learning platform to help companies automatically identify, classify, and monitor sensitive data for privacy regulation compliance.
Preclusio, a startup from the Y Combinator Summer 2019 class, offers a machine learning-powered platform to help companies navigate complex privacy regulations like GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act. The platform provides a comprehensive view of corporate data by identifying what information is collected, how it is used, where it is stored, and how it requires protection.
The company deliberately designs its solution to run directly in the customer's environment, whether on-premises or in cloud services like AWS and Azure, to ensure clients retain complete control over their own data. By operating inside the customer's infrastructure with read-only access, Preclusio continuously monitors for potential privacy exceptions and alerts compliance teams to threats in real time.
Using machine learning, the tool automatically analyzes data schemas and samples to identify common protected information without requiring manual intervention. CEO and co-founder Heather Wade develops this solution after experiencing firsthand the lack of adequate tools while implementing privacy policies, aiming to save engineering teams from wasting valuable resources on internal compliance efforts.