Masking

Masking can mean:

Arts and media

 * Backmasking, a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward onto a track meant to be played forward
 * Masking (art), protecting a selected area from change during production, as with tape and stencils
 * Masking (illustration), an art technique that influences the intended perception of a character

Data protection

 * Data masking, replacing data with random characters or data to conceal sensitive information
 * Blinded experiment, in which data is masked to prevent bias
 * Masking (Electronic Health Record), patient-requested concealment of information from healthcare providers
 * Masking and unmasking by intelligence agencies, to protect the privacy of unintentional surveillance targets
 * Sound masking, intentional introduction of background sounds to improve comfort and privacy

Sensory phenomena

 * Auditory masking, sensory phenomena where perception of one sound is affected by another
 * Temporal masking
 * Simultaneous masking
 * Visual masking
 * Backward masking, in psychovisual or psychoacoustics

Other technologies

 * Mask (computing), AND'ing or OR'ing a bit pattern with another bit pattern to select certain bits
 * Masking agent, a reagent used in chemical analysis which reacts with chemical species which may interfere in the analysis
 * Sound masking, intentional introduction of background sounds to improve comfort and privacy
 * Spectral mask, a method for reducing adjacent-channel interference in broadcast applications

Other uses

 * Masking (personality), in which an individual changes their personality to conform to social pressure
 * Autistic masking, the suppression of autistic behaviors and compensation of social difficulties in autistic people
 * Female masking, a form of male cross-dressing
 * Applying or using a facial mask