Final answer:
Data masking is a method of creating a structurally similar but inauthentic version of an organization's data to protect sensitive information.
Step-by-step explanation:
Data masking is a method of creating a structurally similar but inauthentic version of an organization's data that can be used for purposes such as software testing and user training, protecting PII and commercially sensitive data. It involves replacing sensitive data with realistic but fictional data, ensuring that the relationships and structures within the data remain intact.