Automated document redaction: 6 benefits of using software

For those in highly regulated industries, redaction plays a vital role in making sure that confidential data or sensitive information is not viewed by the wrong people. In this article, we look at how automated document redaction can make this process a breeze.

Though before we dive in, why has automation become so important in this area?

The problems with manual redaction

Simply put, organisations that are using manual processes to redact documents are at a higher risk of exposing personal or sensitive information. What’s more, they’re opening themselves up to potential – and devastating - compliance failures.

Take, for example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Businesses who violate these rules may face fines, penalties, court trials, reputational damage and much more. It’s no surprise then that maintaining compliance with privacy rules and regulations has risen high up the agenda for organisations worldwide.

Of course, there’s also the time and cost aspect. Scouring a document, or multiple documents, to physically redact with a black marker is not only a painstaking task but can also be subject to human error. Due to the ‘needle in a haystack’ nature of manual redaction, sensitive information can easily be missed. Worse still, optical character recognition (OCR) technology can often identify words that have been redacted by hand.

In addition, some scanners don’t recognise where black markers have been used to redact information on a document. This means that when a redacted document is scanned, the ‘hidden’ data is still visible.

Aside from manual redaction being tedious, expensive and largely inefficient, there’s simply no room for mistakes. As such, it might not surprise you to learn that redaction failings have hit the headlines in recent years.

One such incident followed a misstep by lawyers to properly redact pleadings for former lobbyist and Trump presidential campaign chair Paul Manafort. Journalists were able to publicise the redacted passages in the documents by copying and pasting the text into another document. This revealed the redacted passages from the originals, including new details of Manafort’s relationship with a suspected Russian spy.

So, how can you be certain you’ve redacted all confidential information to remain compliant with current regulations?

The benefits of automated redaction software

Instead of worrying about whether you managed to capture every instance of sensitive data, modern document redaction tools can give you peace of mind by protecting you and your business from accidental disclosure. They do this by automatically locating and redacting sensitive data fields in electronic documents.

Organisations can reap many benefits from augmenting their document review process with automated redaction software, including:

1. A secure and controlled environment that lets review owners choose who can access documents, as well as define permissions for each reviewer and their role in the document redaction process.
2. Improved collaboration by facilitating teamwork with complete visibility of which redactions have been suggested and by whom. Multiple reviewers can also work on the same document at the same time from different devices, both on and offline. This makes the redaction review more efficient, which is particularly important for time-critical documents.
3. A quicker and more compliant process that reduces time and human resources. Redaction software can identify multiple pieces of text and data that need to be securely redacted, making sure that the organisation continues to comply with laws and regulations. It can also do so in a fraction of the time compared to manual redaction, freeing up resources for other value-adding activities.
4. Enhanced version control of documents by automatically updating the original documents with accepted redactions. This reduces the risk of the wrong version of documents being used, which could have devastating consequences, such as regulatory fines or legal action due to breaches of confidentiality.
5. A complete audit trail that shows who has suggested information to be redacted and the reason why, as well as showing information that has been accepted for redaction and who accepted it. An automated redaction tool can produce a complete record that helps organisations to meet legal requirements and be audit-ready.
6. Increased accuracy and consistency by eliminating individual oversight or human error, as well as the variabilities that are inherent with manual document redaction.

Getting redaction right is critical for any organisation that deals with and distributes sensitive data. Especially for those operating within the world’s most regulated industries.

Automated document redaction software can help to streamline your redaction process to make redacting documents faster and easier. Read our latest success stories to find out how our customers are using PleaseReview to do just that.

Written by

Alexander Pavlović

Alex produces targeted content to help Ideagen’s readers and customers navigate the complex world of quality, governance, risk and compliance.

Alex has worked with brands such as BT, Sodexo and Unilever and is passionate about helping businesses build a cohesive, collaborative culture of quality.