diff --git a/config.yaml b/config.yaml
index 88b64e02..fe24a020 100644
--- a/config.yaml
+++ b/config.yaml
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ display:
   tool_progress_command: false
   tool_progress: all
 privacy:
-  redact_pii: false
+  redact_pii: true
 tts:
   provider: edge
   edge:
diff --git a/tasks.py b/tasks.py
index afc5f228..95d9abfd 100644
--- a/tasks.py
+++ b/tasks.py
@@ -226,6 +226,32 @@ def hermes_local(prompt, model=None, caller_tag=None, toolsets=None):
         return None
     return result.get("response")
 
+PII_SCRUBBER_SYSTEM_PROMPT = (
+    "You are a PII (Personally Identifiable Information) redaction middleware.\n"
+    "Your ONLY task is to identify and replace PII with generic placeholders.\n"
+    "Replace names with [NAME], email addresses with [EMAIL], phone numbers with [PHONE], and physical addresses with [ADDRESS].\n"
+    "Do not change any other part of the text. Do not add any commentary.\n"
+    "If no PII is found, return the input text exactly as it is."
+)
+
+
+@huey.task()
+def pii_scrubber(text):
+    """Redact PII from text using gemma2:2b."""
+    result = run_hermes_local(
+        prompt=text,
+        model="gemma2:2b",
+        caller_tag="pii-scrubber",
+        system_prompt=PII_SCRUBBER_SYSTEM_PROMPT,
+        disable_all_tools=True,
+        skip_context_files=True,
+        skip_memory=True,
+        max_iterations=1,
+    )
+    if not result:
+        return text
+    return result.get("response", text)
+
 
 ARCHIVE_EPHEMERAL_SYSTEM_PROMPT = (
     "You are running a private archive-processing microtask for Timmy.\n"