Refactoring 10: Security and Privacy

Goal

Reduce risk of data leakage, PII exposure, or license violations.

Sequence

• Order: 10
• Previous: refactoring-09-performance-profiling
• Next: refactoring-11-ci-automation

Workflow

• Scan for hardcoded secrets, tokens, or private endpoints.
  • Success: Secrets and risky endpoints are identified.
• Identify PII fields and confirm how they are stored and logged.
  • Success: PII fields and handling are documented.
• Check dataset and library licenses for compatibility.
  • Success: License constraints are verified and noted.
• Ensure .gitignore excludes sensitive outputs and large artifacts.
  • Success: Sensitive outputs are not tracked by git.
• Document required security or privacy constraints in README.md.
  • Success: README describes required constraints and handling rules.

Guardrails

• Do not delete or redact data without approval.
• Escalate if sensitive data is discovered.
• Keep changes minimal and focused on safety.