Least privilege is a data question before it is a network one

Zero trust is often bought as network segmentation. That is part of it, but it is not where the hard decisions are. The hard decisions are about data.

Least privilege means an operator retrieves only what their role already permits. That constraint has to live with the data and the retrieval layer, not only at the perimeter. A model or a query that can reach beyond the operator’s clearance is a problem no firewall rule fixes.

We ingest source systems under role constraints and keep retrieval inside them. The point is that governance travels with the information, so the same rule holds whether a person, a report, or a model is asking.

If access depends on where a request came from rather than who is asking and what they may see, it is not least privilege.