Review how we’ve handled sealed exhibits over the last [N=2 years] and recommend a consistent protection policy: encry…
Open the PDF you want to redact in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Go to the Tools panel and select Redact a PDF.
Best practiceIf you do not see 'Redact a PDF,' click 'View more' to expand the list of tools.
Use your cursor to select the text or images you want to redact.
CautionRedacted content is permanently removed after applying redactions; double-check your selections.
Click Apply to permanently remove the selected content.
NoteYou may be prompted to save a copy of the document after applying redactions.
Save the redacted PDF with a new file name.
Best practiceSaving a new copy preserves your original unredacted document.
You can preview all redaction marks before applying them to ensure nothing is missed.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
Redaction permanently removes the content, making it unrecoverable. Drawing a black rectangle only covers the content; the text or image is still underneath and can be copied or revealed. Always use the Redaction tool for sensitive information to ensure it's truly gone.
Sanitizing a PDF removes hidden information like metadata, comments, and file attachments that might still contain sensitive data. Redaction only removes visible content. To fully protect privacy, you must sanitize the document to ensure no hidden details remain that could reveal what you tried to hide.
For many items like Social Security Numbers or account numbers, use Acrobat's pattern-based auto-redaction. This feature can find and mark all instances of a specific pattern automatically. After it runs, have another person check a few random examples to make sure everything was redacted correctly. This saves time and reduces mistakes.
A reason-code list is a set of standard explanations for why something was redacted, like 'Privacy' or 'Confidential'. Using the same codes helps everyone on a team understand why certain information was removed from a document.