RAG Access Control 2D: Permission-Filtered Retrieval Map |…

What is RAG Access Control?

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) involves integrating retrieval mechanisms with generative models to enhance the quality and relevance of generated text. In this context, access control refers to the process of managing who can retrieve which information from a knowledge base or database.

The RAG Access Control 2D simulation allows you to visualize how different permission strategies affect data retrieval in an RAG system, ensuring that sensitive or unauthorized content does not leak into the final output.

Understanding the Permission Tiers

The four permission tiers (Engineering, Legal, Confidential) represent different levels of sensitivity and access rights. Each tier corresponds to a specific type of information that requires varying degrees of security.

By toggling these switches, you can control which chunks are accessible at each level, simulating real-world scenarios where data is classified based on its sensitivity.

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Retrieval Strategies and Their Impact

The simulation demonstrates three retrieval strategies: no filter (where all chunks are retrieved regardless of permissions), pre-filtering (where only authorized chunks are retrieved before the query is processed), and post-filtering with backfill (where chunks are initially retrieved without permission checks, but unauthorized chunks are filtered out after processing).

Each strategy has its own trade-offs in terms of security, performance, and data integrity. The goal is to find a balance that ensures both efficiency and compliance with access control policies.

Interactive Exploration

By dragging the Top-K slider and clicking New Query, you can sample different query vectors near random topic clusters. This allows you to observe how each retrieval strategy handles unauthorized data differently.

Panning and zooming the map provides a more detailed view of the data distribution and helps in understanding the effectiveness of various access control mechanisms.

Frequently asked questions

What does 'No filter' mean in RAG retrieval?

'No filter' means that all chunks, regardless of their permission level, are retrieved. This can lead to unauthorized data leaking into the LLM's context if not properly managed.

Why is pre-filtering important for security?

Pre-filtering ensures that only authorized chunks are processed by the RAG system before any generation or retrieval operations, which significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized data leaking into the final output.

What happens in post-filtering with backfill?

In post-filtering with backfill, all chunks are initially retrieved without permission checks. After processing, unauthorized chunks are filtered out, ensuring that only authorized content is used for generating responses.

How does this simulation help in understanding RAG access control?

This simulation provides a visual and interactive way to understand the impact of different access control strategies on RAG systems. It helps in identifying potential security vulnerabilities and optimizing retrieval processes for better data privacy and integrity.

Try it live

Everything above runs in your browser — open RAG Access Control 2D: Permission-Filtered Retrieval Map and change the parameters while it is running. Nothing is installed, nothing is uploaded, the whole model lives in one tab.

▶ Open RAG Access Control 2D: Permission-Filtered Retrieval Map simulation