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Data Regulation Models

The InCountry platform provides the four data regulation models (replication / restriction / redaction / mixed) which you can use for handling regulated data. This section collects answers to the questions about the implementation of these models.

What is a Data Regulation Model?​

A data regulation model is a complex of operations and data handling scenarios that can be performed on regulated data, including specific limitations imposed by compliance requirements.

What Data Regulation Models does the InCountry Platform Support?​

The InCountry platform supports three data regulation models, as follows:

Data operationsYour application
without InCountry		InCountry Data Residency Model
ReplicationRestrictionRedaction
StorageOutside OnlyInside & OutsideInside OnlyInside Only
ProcessingOutside OnlyOutsideOutsideInside Only
ViewingInside & OutsideInside & OutsideInside & OutsideInside Only

How to Implement the Replication Model with the InCountry platform?​

Let’s say we want to implement the replication model to handle regulated data within our web application. Our infrastructure includes a basic setup comprising a client and a server.

The InCountry platform provides two options to implement this scenario, as follows:

Option 1​

  1. Your application frontend sends a data request with a JWT token to InCountry REST API and saves regulated data on the InCountry platform.

  2. Then it sends a data request with the regulated data to the application backend for saving it into the database.

Option 2​

  1. Your application frontend sends a data request to your application backend.

  2. Firstly, your application backend sends the regulated data to InCountry REST API, which saves this data on the InCountry platform.

  3. Then your application replicates this regulated data to your production database.

How to Implement the Restriction/Redaction Model with the InCountry platform?​

Let’s say we want to implement the restriction or redaction model for our regulated data. Our infrastructure includes the application backend, which resides in some country outside the country of origin and the application frontend opened in the country of origin.

The InCountry platform provides the two options to implement this scenario, as follows:

Option 1​

  1. The application frontend sends a data request containing regulated data of the record with a JWT token to InCountry REST API which saves this regulated data on the InCountry platform.

  2. The application frontend generates tokes for regulated data values.

  3. The application frontend sends a data request with the rest of the record’s unregulated data and tokenized values to the application backend.

Option 2​

  1. You put InCountry Border between the application frontend and backend.

  2. The application frontend sends a data request through InCountry Border that captures regulated data values and saves them on the InCountry platform.

  3. InCountry Border further routes the data request with tokenized values instead of regulated data to the application backend.

The similar flow can be implemented in the reverse order when we need to output regulated in the application frontend (visual interface). In this case, InCountry Border unredacts tokenized values and swap them with clear-text values before passing to the application frontend.

Other Specifics​

You cannot use InCountry REST API (with backend), as unredacted data should not reach your application backend which InCountry SDK integrates with.

Additionally, you can use InCountry Serverless when you need to perform additional data processing in the country of origin if regulated data cannot leave domestic borders. For example, some complex validation like checking the uniqueness of the entered email address in your application database. You can create a serverless function that runs a query against this email on the InCountry platform in the country of origin and validates the uniqueness of the provided email address. If invalidated, a serverless function will return a corresponding response to your application.

How to Implement a Mixed-model Scenario with the InCountry Platform?​

Let’s imagine a situation when you have an international online store. Its database is hosted in the United States of America. Most customers come from the following countries:

  • Germany (restriction model)

  • Saudi Arabia (redaction model)

  • China (redaction model)

  • Russia (replication model)

The e-store backend and database reside in the United States, while the store frontend is available in each country. You can handle this scenario with the InCountry platform, as follows:

  1. Your e-store frontend should provide some additional logic that will differentiate regulated data coming from different countries.

  2. Once this is done, in each country you need to have an InCountry Point-of-Presence and either InCountry REST API or InCountry Border. InCountry REST API or InCountry Border will handle regulated data according to the compliance requirements of the country which regulated data comes from.

  3. The store frontend will perform data requests through InCountry REST API or InCountry Border and save regulated data to the InCountry platform in the country of origin according to the chosen data regulation model.