A Broad Overview Of Problems With Redaction
The major drawback of data redaction is that it is a complex technique and most people, even those in-charge of screening material, don't really know how to redact documents properly. consequently, two very obvious mistakes are made on a regular basis.
The first is that most people simply hide information
instead of deleting it entirely. It should be obvious that if something is left
within the document, however hidden, it can be accessed by someone who knows
how.
Another common oversight that people commit is that they
fail to/ or don't know how to scan the document for text that might already be
concealed, especially in the form of meta-data, and hence they approve these
documents for publishing, not realizing they're sending sensitive information
forward.
In general, most electronic documents are created in
applications such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint, and upon
completion are changed into the PDF format for dissemination and publishing.
Electronic redaction works best if it is worked into the writing stage. In case
a document has already been converted, PDF redaction software can be used to
effectively sanitize PDF files.Let us take a look at some of the most common
roots of problems faced in document redaction, be it document masking, legal
redacting, using redaction software or redaction tool programs.
The obvious, yet understandable mistake, people make is to
think that if something is obscured from view it cannot be read by anyone. The
simplest technique most people resort to is to keep the text and the background
of the document in the same color so that they become impossible to tell apart.
Covering the controversial text with a differently colored, thick triangle is
another technique.
Also, most editors and publishers prefer to blank out
specific portions of a document by highlighting the same in black. Somebody who
knows what they're looking for will know to extract information by undoing the
color labeling/ highlighting.
A redaction technique involves pasting innocuous graphics
over sensitive text.
When the document passes through the screening, these
seemingly innocent portions are missed. If someone is dedicated to getting
their hands on the confidential content, they will know enough to test every
image and remove the ones that are acting as a cover-up. Visit www.paragonsystems.com
With trying to sanitize PDF files, the other common mistake
is not being familiar with Meta-data. When the screening process is going on,
if the Meta-data is passed undetected or the person doesn't know how to rid the
document of it, the document will get published and anybody can access the
confidential material.
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