diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/BUILD b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/BUILD
index 51d95f3523f..8b71cfaa24b 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/BUILD
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/BUILD
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ filegroup(
     name = "all-srcs",
     srcs = [
         ":package-srcs",
+        "//staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol:all-srcs",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/json:all-srcs",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/logreduction:all-srcs",
     ],
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/BUILD b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/BUILD
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4f08886ddec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/BUILD
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+load("@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl", "go_library", "go_test")
+
+go_library(
+    name = "go_default_library",
+    srcs = [
+        "datapol.go",
+        "externaltypes.go",
+    ],
+    importmap = "k8s.io/kubernetes/vendor/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol",
+    importpath = "k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol",
+    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
+    deps = ["//vendor/k8s.io/klog/v2:go_default_library"],
+)
+
+go_test(
+    name = "go_default_test",
+    srcs = [
+        "datapol_test.go",
+        "externaltypes_test.go",
+    ],
+    embed = [":go_default_library"],
+    deps = ["//vendor/github.com/stretchr/testify/assert:go_default_library"],
+)
+
+filegroup(
+    name = "package-srcs",
+    srcs = glob(["**"]),
+    tags = ["automanaged"],
+    visibility = ["//visibility:private"],
+)
+
+filegroup(
+    name = "all-srcs",
+    srcs = [":package-srcs"],
+    tags = ["automanaged"],
+    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
+)
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/datapol.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/datapol.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6ec8fb12d39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/datapol.go
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2020 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+// Package datapol contains functions to determine if objects contain sensitive
+// data to e.g. make decisions on whether to log them or not.
+package datapol
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"strings"
+
+	"k8s.io/klog/v2"
+)
+
+// Verify returns a list of the datatypes contained in the argument that can be
+// considered sensitive w.r.t. to logging
+func Verify(value interface{}) []string {
+	defer func() {
+		if r := recover(); r != nil {
+			//TODO maybe export a metric
+			klog.Warningf("Error while inspecting arguments for sensitive data: %v", r)
+		}
+	}()
+	t := reflect.ValueOf(value)
+	if t.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
+		t = t.Elem()
+	}
+	return datatypes(t)
+}
+
+func datatypes(v reflect.Value) []string {
+	if types := byType(v.Type()); len(types) > 0 {
+		// Slices, and maps can be nil or empty, only the nil case is zero
+		switch v.Kind() {
+		case reflect.Slice, reflect.Map:
+			if !v.IsZero() && v.Len() > 0 {
+				return types
+			}
+		default:
+			if !v.IsZero() {
+				return types
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	switch v.Kind() {
+	case reflect.Interface:
+		return datatypes(v.Elem())
+	case reflect.Slice, reflect.Array:
+		for i := 0; i < v.Len(); i++ {
+			if types := datatypes(v.Index(i)); len(types) > 0 {
+				return types
+			}
+		}
+	case reflect.Map:
+		mapIter := v.MapRange()
+		for mapIter.Next() {
+			k := mapIter.Key()
+			v := mapIter.Value()
+			if types := datatypes(k); len(types) > 0 {
+				return types
+			}
+			if types := datatypes(v); len(types) > 0 {
+				return types
+			}
+		}
+	case reflect.Struct:
+		t := v.Type()
+		numField := t.NumField()
+
+		for i := 0; i < numField; i++ {
+			f := t.Field(i)
+			if f.Type.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
+				continue
+			}
+			if reason, ok := f.Tag.Lookup("datapolicy"); ok {
+				if !v.Field(i).IsZero() {
+					return strings.Split(reason, ",")
+				}
+			}
+			if types := datatypes(v.Field(i)); len(types) > 0 {
+				return types
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/datapol_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/datapol_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f792cca7d6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/datapol_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2020 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package datapol
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+const (
+	marker = "hunter2"
+)
+
+type withDatapolTag struct {
+	Key string `json:"key" datapolicy:"password"`
+}
+
+type withExternalType struct {
+	Header http.Header `json:"header"`
+}
+
+type noDatapol struct {
+	Key string `json:"key"`
+}
+
+type datapolInMember struct {
+	secrets withDatapolTag
+}
+
+type datapolInSlice struct {
+	secrets []withDatapolTag
+}
+
+type datapolInMap struct {
+	secrets map[string]withDatapolTag
+}
+
+type datapolBehindPointer struct {
+	secrets *withDatapolTag
+}
+
+func TestValidate(t *testing.T) {
+	testcases := []struct {
+		name      string
+		value     interface{}
+		expect    []string
+		badFilter bool
+	}{{
+		name:   "Empty password",
+		value:  withDatapolTag{},
+		expect: []string{},
+	}, {
+		name: "Non-empty password",
+		value: withDatapolTag{
+			Key: marker,
+		},
+		expect: []string{"password"},
+	}, {
+		name:   "empty external type",
+		value:  withExternalType{Header: http.Header{}},
+		expect: []string{},
+	}, {
+		name: "external type",
+		value: withExternalType{Header: http.Header{
+			"Authorization": []string{"Bearer hunter2"},
+		}},
+		expect: []string{"password", "token"},
+	}, {
+		name:      "no datapol tag",
+		value:     noDatapol{Key: marker},
+		expect:    []string{},
+		badFilter: true,
+	}, {
+		name: "nested",
+		value: datapolInMember{
+			secrets: withDatapolTag{
+				Key: marker,
+			},
+		},
+		expect: []string{"password"},
+	}, {
+		name: "nested in pointer",
+		value: datapolBehindPointer{
+			secrets: &withDatapolTag{Key: marker},
+		},
+		expect: []string{},
+	}, {
+		name: "nested in slice",
+		value: datapolInSlice{
+			secrets: []withDatapolTag{{Key: marker}},
+		},
+		expect: []string{"password"},
+	}, {
+		name: "nested in map",
+		value: datapolInMap{
+			secrets: map[string]withDatapolTag{
+				"key": {Key: marker},
+			},
+		},
+		expect: []string{"password"},
+	}, {
+		name: "nested in map but empty",
+		value: datapolInMap{
+			secrets: map[string]withDatapolTag{
+				"key": {},
+			},
+		},
+		expect: []string{},
+	}, {
+		name: "struct in interface",
+		value: struct{ v interface{} }{v: withDatapolTag{
+			Key: marker,
+		}},
+		expect: []string{"password"},
+	}, {
+		name: "structptr in interface",
+		value: struct{ v interface{} }{v: &withDatapolTag{
+			Key: marker,
+		}},
+		expect: []string{},
+	}}
+	for _, tc := range testcases {
+		res := Verify(tc.value)
+		if !assert.ElementsMatch(t, tc.expect, res) {
+			t.Errorf("Wrong set of tags for %q. expect %v, got %v", tc.name, tc.expect, res)
+		}
+		if !tc.badFilter {
+			formatted := fmt.Sprintf("%v", tc.value)
+			if strings.Contains(formatted, marker) != (len(tc.expect) > 0) {
+				t.Errorf("Filter decision doesn't match formatted value for %q: tags: %v, format: %s", tc.name, tc.expect, formatted)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/externaltypes.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/externaltypes.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d343d3e6591
--- /dev/null
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/externaltypes.go
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2020 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package datapol
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"reflect"
+)
+
+const (
+	httpHeader      = "net/http.Header"
+	httpCookie      = "net/http.Cookie"
+	x509Certificate = "crypto/x509.Certificate"
+)
+
+// GlobalDatapolicyMapping returns the list of sensitive datatypes are embedded
+// in types not native to Kubernetes.
+func GlobalDatapolicyMapping(v interface{}) []string {
+	return byType(reflect.TypeOf(v))
+}
+
+func byType(t reflect.Type) []string {
+	// Use string representation of the type to prevent taking a depency on the actual type.
+	switch fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", t.PkgPath(), t.Name()) {
+	case httpHeader:
+		return []string{"password", "token"}
+	case httpCookie:
+		return []string{"token"}
+	case x509Certificate:
+		return []string{"security-key"}
+	default:
+		return nil
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/externaltypes_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/externaltypes_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b0a4ab722a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/datapol/externaltypes_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2020 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package datapol
+
+import (
+	"crypto/x509"
+	"net/http"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestTypes(t *testing.T) {
+	testcases := []struct {
+		value  interface{}
+		expect []string
+	}{{
+		value:  http.Header{},
+		expect: []string{"password", "token"},
+	}, {
+		value:  http.Cookie{},
+		expect: []string{"token"},
+	}, {
+		value:  x509.Certificate{},
+		expect: []string{"security-key"},
+	}}
+	for _, tc := range testcases {
+		types := GlobalDatapolicyMapping(tc.value)
+		if !assert.ElementsMatch(t, tc.expect, types) {
+			t.Errorf("Wrong set of datatypes detected for %T, want: %v, got %v", tc.value, tc.expect, types)
+		}
+	}
+}