How to Securely Redact Documents

RedactProof is a browser-based document redaction tool designed for professionals handling sensitive information. Unlike cloud-based alternatives that require uploading documents to external servers, RedactProof processes everything locally - giving you the security benefits of desktop software with the convenience of a web application.

Key Capabilities

• Automated Detection: Pattern recognition and on-device named-entity recognition identify names, addresses, dates of birth, and 60+ categories of personally identifiable information (PII)
• Pattern Matching: Regex-based detection for structured data like National Insurance numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, and postcodes
• Pixel-Burn Redaction: Permanent, irrecoverable redaction that removes underlying text data - not just a black box overlay
• Verification Certificates: A tamper-evident certificate that lets the recipient confirm the file they hold is exactly what was exported

How Client-Side Processing Works

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When you open a document, it loads directly into your browser's memory. Detection runs on your device, redactions are applied locally, and the finished document is downloaded directly to your device. Your file never leaves your browser. A cryptographic hash is sent to register your verification certificate, and if you enable the optional Precision mode (Pro, off by default), extracted text - never the file - is analysed for deeper detection, used for inference only and never stored.

Step-by-Step Workflow

Step 1: Upload Your Document

1. Navigate to app.redactproof.com
2. Drag and drop your PDF onto the upload area, or click to browse
3. Wait for the document to load in your browser

Step 2: Review Detected Information

Once loaded, RedactProof automatically scans your document. Detected items appear in the sidebar with:

• The detected text - What was found
• Category label - e.g., "Person Name", "Email Address", "Date of Birth"
• Confidence indicator - How certain the AI is about the detection
• Page location - Click to navigate directly to the item

Detection Categories

The AI model identifies over 60 types of sensitive information, including:

Step 3: Approve or Dismiss Detections

Review each detection and decide what to redact:

• Click the checkbox to approve for redaction
• Click dismiss (x) to ignore false positives
• Click the item to navigate to its location
• Use "Select All" to approve all detections at once
• Filter by category to review specific types

Adding Manual Redactions

For items the AI missed, you can add manual redactions:

• Text selection: Click and drag to select text, then click "Redact"
• Area selection: Use the rectangle tool to draw boxes over images or handwritten content

Step 4: Export Your Redacted Document

1. Click the Export button in the toolbar
2. Wait for processing (progress bar shows status)
3. Your download starts automatically

What you receive depends on your account tier: