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Peeking Into the Past: A Comprehensive History of Redaction

Redaction is the process of removing confidential information from a file or document to protect the privacy or security of the person or entity whose information is being removed.

Names, addresses, financial data, government records, social security numbers, or any other information that could be used to identify a person (birthdates, etc.) or threaten an entity’s operations are common examples of redacted data.

Continue reading to learn how this process evolved throughout history and how iDox.ai's redaction software streamlines it and brings it into the 21st-century digital age.


Highlights

  • Redaction removes sensitive information for privacy or security.
  • Common redacted data includes personal and operationally sensitive information.
  • It originates from the 18th-century French term “rédaction” and Latin “redigere.”
  • The modern definition of redaction involves obscuring private details in a document, leaving the rest intact. Techniques like "black boxing" have been used for over a century.
  • The modern usage of redaction has been officially recognized in the last decade.
  • 21st-century redaction practices extend beyond government to businesses, law firms, and financial institutions.
  • They aim to protect privacy while allowing transparency and information spread.

A Linguistic History

Redaction's linguistic history can be traced back to the 18th-century French term “rédaction.” That French word itself came from a Latin word whose roots were the word “redigere,” meaning “bring back.”

Ironically, redaction in the twenty-first century focuses on the permanent removal of information, not its restoration. But the term may have come from the idea of bringing someone's attention back or recalling or removing information by “bringing it back” to the right person.


Redaction: The Question of Information Removal or Combination

Prior to its current use/meaning, redaction had also been used similarly to how one might use the words “collate” or “combine,” in that it has, over time, referred to the process of combining multiple accounts, source materials, or documents into one.

The picking and choosing of what to include or remove from each file serves as the “bringing back” or “redacting” part of that process.


Redefining Redaction

Over the last hundred years or so, our modern definition and usage of “redaction” have emerged. Redaction is often linked to security and privacy issues in physical and electronic documents. It hides the private details in a file while leaving the rest of it intact.

For example, one common redaction technique is “black boxing,” or putting black boxes over sensitive information to obscure the sensitive data while still allowing the file to be publicly viewed. Interestingly, though this practice has been around for a century or more, the word “redaction” was only added to the Oxford English Dictionary in the last ten years.


Earliest Forms of Redaction

While no one knows for certain when redaction began as a practice, it should surprise no one that the first well-documented case of redaction involved the world’s most famous book of all time: The Bible.


Redaction and Biblical Studies

The King James version of the Bible, an original English translation, was written in 1611 by religious scholars who were advised by King James IV himself. This version is a translation of the 14th-century printings of the Bible known as the Wycliffe Bible; the Wycliffe Bible itself was translated from original Arabic texts into English in the early 1400s.

More translations of the Bible happened over time, each involving the selection and omission of portions as the authors transformed the text: Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament in 1525, Cloverdale’s adaptation of Tyndale in 1539, and Calvin’s production of the Geneva Bible in the late 1500s. These efforts were pivotal in the field of biblical studies, providing rich context to the story and teachings within the scriptures.


King James: The Earliest Example of Redaction

King James didn’t ascend to the throne until 1604. When he did, he convened a group of 47 scholars to create a “final” version of the Bible, effectively compiling it into a single document. One of the earliest examples of redaction is this very act, where all the different versions of the Bible were put together, altered, and translated into a single, cohesive text.

While the streamlining and combining of texts into a single document is no longer the main way we use the term “redaction,” its history is rich with political, religious, and literary significance.


Modern Redaction

Redaction today can still involve the combining and translating of information, but more often than not, modern redaction focuses on information removal. In the United States, this became increasingly prevalent in the 20th century as our justice system evolved to enhance legal prosecutions and national security measures.

For example, when prosecuting organized crime, police learned that witness names should be crossed out or hidden to protect privacy and safety. In the same way, the Freedom of Information Act mandates that all government agencies make documents available to the public in the name of openness.

However, some information undergoes legal redactions or is removed from these documents to safeguard the privacy and security of private or sensitive information.


Redaction in the 21st Century

Redaction in the twenty-first century isn’t just for police or politicians, however. Businesses remove sensitive information from files, lawyers enact legal redactions to remove privileged information, and financial analysts must redact personal identification or routing and account numbers. By keeping private information safe, redaction allows for greater transparency and the spread of information while continuing to protect privacy and ensure security.


Guarantee Privacy and Security with iDox.ai Redact

Today, individuals and organizations have moved away from manual redaction. Document redaction software, with its increased efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and accuracy, is allowing businesses to safeguard their sensitive information and ensure compliance with data privacy laws.


iDox.ai offers a plethora of solutions to your document management needs. To learn more about how iDox.ai can meet your redaction needs, visit our website today.

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May 31, 2024
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