Need to Redact? How to Redact Personal Information on a PDF Using ComplyKEY

Redacting personal information from documents is a crucial step in ensuring compliance and protecting individuals’ privacy rights. In this blog post, we’ll explore how ComplyKEY Redaction, powered by Smartbox.ai, revolutionizes the process of redacting personal data on PDF documents with unparalleled efficiency and precision.

Understanding the Need to Redact Personal Information

Before delving into the redaction process, it’s essential to understand when and why redaction is necessary. Under regulations like the GDPR, individuals have the right to access their personal data. However, absolute transparency is not always possible, especially when personal data is intertwined with confidential information or when releasing certain details could harm the organization. Redaction becomes necessary in such cases to ensure compliance and protect sensitive information.

What Information do I Need to Redact?

The next step is figuring out what information should be redacted. This varies depending on the context and nature of the documents. It’s crucial to identify and remove any personal data that is not relevant to the individual making the request. Additionally, information about other individuals or confidential business details may also need to be redacted to maintain compliance and privacy.

The Data Protection Commissioner guidelines state

Redacting Documents and Records

Redaction is the process of concealing information while leaving intact the rest of the document or record containing it. This is commonly completed by ‘blocking out’ the material to be obscured but as will be discussed below, other approaches may be more appropriate, convenient or effective.

There are many situations in which it is necessary or advisable to limit the contents of documents or files that are to be published or otherwise disclosed. A document with uncontroversial contents might also contain confidential or proprietary information that should not be disclosed to the intended recipient or the public generally. Rules governing official secrecy, legal privilege or professional confidentiality can restrict disclosure of information either generally or to specific classes of person.

In the context of data protection, the most common situation in which redaction must be considered is when responding to a subject access request (or ‘SAR’) under Article 15 of the GDPR. (For more information on SARs, see the DPC’s web page and links here.)

Methods of Redaction

Without software redacting information from physical documents is done by using black marker pens or cutting out relevant sections. This method is very labour intensive and wide open to human error. ComplyKEY Redaction powered by Smartbox.ai offers a streamlined solution for digital redaction, ensuring precision and efficiency and traceability. Leveraging AI-based forensic data detection, ComplyKEY automates the redaction process, swiftly finding and redacting personal data with unparalleled accuracy.

Benefits of Using ComplyKEY Redaction

Speed and Efficiency

ComplyKEY’s hyper-scalable AI engine drastically reduces manual intervention time, enabling swift redaction of sensitive information.

Precision and Accuracy

With unparalleled precision, ComplyKEY ensures that all personally identifiable information, legal details, and regulatory compliance data are redacted uniformly, preserving document integrity.

Data Security

ComplyKEY goes above and beyond to safeguard documents from unauthorized access, reducing the risk of data breaches and ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations.

Accountability and Transparency

The robust audit trail feature in ComplyKEY meticulously logs all redaction actions, ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the process.

ComplyKEY Redaction, powered by Smartbox.ai, offers a comprehensive solution for redacting personal information on PDF documents. By using advanced AI technology, ComplyKEY streamlines the redaction process, ensuring compliance, data security, and efficiency. With its unparalleled precision and efficiency, ComplyKEY is the go-to tool for organizations looking to safeguard sensitive information and uphold data privacy standards.

To learn more about how ComplyKEY Redaction can revolutionize your data protection efforts and streamline compliance, book a demo or request a quote today.