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Data Redaction: Importance and Methods of Data Redaction for Privacy Protection
image showing a redacted document

When hearing the word “redacted,” many people imagine documents or classified reports with words covered with a black marker. While this is technically correct, technological advances have provided a much faster and more efficient solution for hiding sensitive data than manually using a marker. 


Data redaction tools and software can quickly review thousands of documents and ensure that all confidential information is hidden and protected. Here’s everything you need to know about redacting data using software.


What Is Data Redaction? 


Data redaction refers to the hiding or removing of sensitive information in a document, file, or any other data source. It’s helpful in hiding copyrighted work, trade secrets, intellectual property rights, and other private data. 


The Importance of Data Redaction


Redaction doesn’t just protect sensitive data, but it can also ensure that you’re in line with compliance laws, rules, and regulations. It allows businesses to operate without security and privacy concerns. 


Here are a few reasons why putting data redaction into practice is crucial: 


  • Data Sharing: You can share datasets and documents with contractors, third parties, or researchers without worrying about confidentiality. 


  • Data Protection: Redacting data serves as a safety net in case of data breaches or unauthorized access to sensitive information 


  • Compliance: Some regulations, such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), require companies to protect clients’ personal information, which can be done through redaction. 


  • Public Releases: If you need to make certain data available to the public, you can use data redaction to desensitize it without compromising your privacy and security. 


What Kind of Data Needs to Be Redacted? 


Almost any kind of data of a private or sensitive nature can be redacted.  

Here are a few common examples. 


Personally Identifiable Information (PII)


Most cases of identity theft happen because someone got hold of access to a person’s PII (Personally Identifiable Information). 


PII includes any kind of information that can help identify a person, such as the following: 


  • Name
  • Social Security Number (SSN)
  • Address 
  • Date of birth
  • Email address
  • Biometrics (fingerprints and financial or medical records)


Companies that collect and store this information can protect sensitive, personally identifying data through methods like data redaction. 


License Plates


Anyone can see a license plate on a car while driving, but datasets, pictures, or videos that contain license plate information can be considered sensitive data. Since each vehicle is assigned a unique license plate, it can be used to track down the vehicle owner and even access their private information. Companies that store license plate numbers can use data redaction tools to prevent malicious use of this information.


Images 


Financial documents and medical records often contain images of a person’s face, compromising their privacy if these documents are released. Data redaction tools can blur an individual’s eyes, nose, or any distinguishing features that help identify them. 


Data Redaction Techniques


One key consideration when redacting data is which redaction technique to use. It depends on the portion of information you need to hide or remove, but there are generally three methods to protect sensitive information.


Full Redaction


This data redaction technique protects sensitive information, such as social security and credit card numbers, that must be completely hidden. Full redaction replaces the numbers or dataset you need to hide with a constant value or a generic placeholder such as “XXX-XX-XXXX” or “N/A.” 


Partial Redaction


Partial redaction hides or substitutes a part of the data you need to hide while showing some of the original value. 

For example, you can use partial redaction to show only the last four digits of your credit card or only the year in your birth data.  


Lookup-Based Redaction


Unlike the other two techniques, lookup-based redaction takes a dynamic approach. Instead of using a constant placeholder or a partial value, it uses a lookup function to replace private information with a random value from a fixed list. For example, whenever the redaction tool comes across a first name, it can replace it with a random name from a preset list. 


Tips for Redacting Data 


Here are some data redaction tips you can apply to protect your sensitive data more effectively.


Choose the Tool According to Your Data Type


First, you need to consider what kind of data you want to hide and how you want the software to handle it. Some data redaction tools can only delete, blur, replace, encrypt, or hash information. For example, suppose you want to redact personal identifiers from a PDF. In that case, you’ll need PII redaction software that can recognize PII, such as names, numbers, addresses, SSNs, and other information. 


On the other hand, if you want to blur sensitive parts of an image, you’ll need a tool that can identify logos, faces, or numbers on it and blur or pixelate them. The best redaction software uses AI (artificial intelligence) to spot the information you want to hide based on prompts or inputs. For example, Idox’s Redact tool uses personalized AI software that quickly scans through documents and identifies sensitive information that needs redaction. 


Test The Tool 


Always test the data redaction tool on a sample or copy of your data first before using it on the actual data. This keeps your files safe if the tool damages the data or changes its format, structure, or quality. Some redaction tools can leave residual data or metadata that could expose the original information you were trying to redact. Testing tools beforehand lets you gauge their accuracy and reliability without compromising your sensitive information. 


Review 


No matter how reliable and efficient the redaction tool you’ve chosen may be, always review random sets of redacted data after using it. Some tools might miss small pieces of information or redact more than you need. You might need to fix these errors or inconsistencies manually. Documenting the redaction process and the testing results is also a good idea, especially if you’re handling corporate documents. 


Data Redaction Vs. Data Masking


When it comes to protecting sensitive information, most people choose between two methods: data redaction and data masking. Although both methods allow you to conceal important or private data, they’re not interchangeable, and each one has a specific purpose. Data redaction usually blacks out or removes key pieces of information, leaving the document unusable for testers or users. It’s still readable, but a large part of the data is missing and cannot be retrieved. Data masking, on the other hand, doesn’t hide sensitive information but replaces it with inauthentic data with a similar structure to the original. 


For example, masking tools might remove an individual’s address or credit card number and replace it with a fake one. 

Data masking can be useful if you want to use the documents or data files for training or testing purposes without exposing personal information. You can simply replace all the sensitive parts with fictitious ones. 


When To Use Redaction or Masking


When choosing between the two methods, the decisive factor is whether you want to permanently remove private data. If yes, then you should choose data redaction. This is usually done after you’ve created a copy of a file and need to share only non-privileged parts. However, if you want to retrieve the data later on and you’re worried about usability, then masking is a better option. Data masking is common in software companies when they need to work with realistic data for testing or development but want to exclude privileged information.


Wrapping Up


Data redaction keeps your private data safe, but keep in mind that it’s irreversible. If you plan on using a data redaction tool to hide your sensitive information, make sure you choose the right one from the start. Try iDox.ai’s Redact Tool today and take your company’s security and document redaction efforts to the next level.

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May 31, 2024
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