Sharing PII-Based Data with Flow

Please follow the below instructions in order to access your private S3 folder for transferring files to Flow.

Why This Matters

To protect your customers' Personally Identifiable Information (PII), we use a secure and auditable method for uploading and processing customer data. This ensures no sensitive data is ever downloaded to local devices and all data transfers are encrypted.

Minimum File Requirements

Your .csv file should include the following columns, and ensure that each column is clearly labeled and properly formatted:

• Email Address - REQUIRED

• Phone Number

• First Name

• Last Name

• Country code (e.g. US) - REQUIRED

• MAIDs - Useful to allow for TikTok audience creations

Step-by-Step Instructions

There are two methods to authentication options for your secure S3 location:

A: SSH Key pair, for use in programmatic uploads of data server-side

B: Username & Password, for use in manual uploads by a team member

Step 1A: Username & Password

Your Flow representative will provide you with these credentials so that you can login and access your secure S3 location.

Step 1B: Generate an SSH Key (One-Time Set-up)

To securely connect to our server, you’ll first need to generate an SSH key pair.

On macOS or Linux:

1. Open Terminal.

2. Run the command: ssh-keygen -t rsa

3. Press Enter to accept the default file location.

4. Choose a passphrase (recommended), or press Enter to skip.

5. This will generate:

• Private Key: ~/.ssh/id_rsa

• Public Key: ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

On Windows:

1. Install Git Bash or use PowerShell.

2. Run the same command: ssh-keygen -t rsa

3. Follow the same prompts as above.

Step 2: Share Your Public Key with Flow

1. Open the public key file: cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

2. Copy the full content (starts with ssh-rsa).

3. Send it to your Flow contact as text or a .pub file.

Step 3: Upload Data via SFTP

We recommend using Cyberduck to upload your customer file to our secure S3 location.

1. Install Cyberduck: Download Cyberduck here

2. Connect to the SFTP Folder:

• Open Cyberduck and click “Open Connection”.

• Fill in:

  • Protocol: SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)

  • Server: ftp.flowplatform.com

  • Port: 22

  • Username: (provided by Flow)

  • SSH Private Key: Choose your private key file (id_rsa or .pem)

1. Transfer Your File:

• Drag and drop your .csv file into the folder.

• You’ll only have access to your secure folder.

• Once done, disconnect from the session.

How Flow Securely Handles Your Data

• We use a "clean room" environment to ensure PII is never downloaded to any Flow team member’s physical computer.

• How We Handle Your File:

  • The file you upload via SFTP is placed in a secure AWS-hosted folder.

  • Flow initiates an AWS Workspace (remote desktop) to access your folder.

  • From there, the file is securely downloaded within the AWS environment (never to a local machine).

  • Flow uses the file to upload to Meta, Google, or TikTok custom audiences on your behalf.

  • Once the upload is completed, the original file is permanently deleted from the system.