Redacted: The Simple Explanation
When you see black bars covering text in a document, that document has been redacted. The blacked-out sections contained sensitive information — names, Social Security numbers, classified details, medical records, financial data — that was removed before the document was shared or published.
Redaction is the process. Redacted is the result. A "redacted document" is one where specific sensitive information has been permanently removed while the rest of the content remains readable.
In the example above, the names, dates, and account numbers have been redacted. The factual narrative remains — you can understand what happened — but the identifying details are gone.
Redaction vs. Related Terms
| Term | What It Means | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Redacted | Specific sensitive information permanently removed from a document | Targeted removal of identified data; rest of document preserved |
| Censored | Content suppressed based on moral, political, or social objections | Broader suppression of entire content; ideologically motivated |
| Classified | Document restricted to authorized personnel only | Document isn't altered — access is restricted |
| Sealed | Court record made inaccessible to the public | Entire document hidden; not selectively edited |
| Expunged | Record completely destroyed or erased from existence | Entire record eliminated; not just portions |
| Sanitized | Document stripped of classified markings and content for lower classification | Intelligence/military term; declassification process |
Why Are Documents Redacted?
Privacy Protection
The most common reason for redaction. When documents containing personal information need to be shared — whether with a landlord, a court, a government agency, or the public — sensitive details like Social Security numbers, home addresses, medical information, and financial account numbers must be removed to protect individuals from identity theft, fraud, or unwanted exposure.
Legal Compliance
Multiple laws require redaction in specific contexts. HIPAA requires healthcare organizations to redact protected health information before sharing records outside of permitted uses. GDPR requires organizations to erase personal data on request. FOIA requires government agencies to redact exempt information before releasing public records. CCPA gives consumers the right to request deletion of personal data. Learn more about PHI and PII requirements →
National Security
Government and intelligence documents are routinely redacted before declassification. Information that could compromise sources, methods, ongoing operations, or national security is removed while the remaining content is released. The CIA, FBI, and NSA all publish redacted versions of historical documents through FOIA.
Attorney-Client Privilege
In legal proceedings, documents produced during discovery may contain privileged communications or work product. Attorneys redact privileged portions before turning documents over to opposing counsel, preserving the privilege while complying with discovery obligations.
Business Confidentiality
Companies redact trade secrets, proprietary data, financial terms, and employee information from documents shared with external parties. A contract shared with an auditor might have pricing terms redacted. A compliance report shared with regulators might have employee names redacted.
How Redaction Works
Proper document redaction follows a three-step process:
1. Identify: Find the sensitive information in the document. This can be done manually (reading through and highlighting each item) or automatically using AI that detects patterns like SSNs, names, addresses, and other personally identifiable information.
2. Review: A human verifies what should be redacted. Context matters — a name in a signature block might need redacting while the same name in a public court caption might not.
3. Apply: The sensitive information is permanently removed. In a properly redacted document, the data doesn't just look hidden — it's actually destroyed. The black bars you see replace the original content entirely. There's nothing underneath to recover.
Need to redact a document? SafeRedact uses AI to automatically detect sensitive information and applies permanent pixel-burn redaction. Documents are processed in your browser with bank-grade encryption — no file uploads to third-party servers. Try it free →
What Happens When Redaction Fails
Failed redaction is one of the most common — and most embarrassing — document security failures. It happens when someone thinks they've redacted information but the underlying data is still recoverable.
The Manafort case (2019): Paul Manafort's legal team filed "redacted" court documents with the Mueller investigation. A reporter discovered the "redacted" text could simply be copied and pasted, revealing details about alleged coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian contacts. The team had drawn black rectangles over text in a PDF without actually removing the data.
This happens because many people confuse hiding text with redacting text. Drawing a black box over text in Adobe Acrobat, using black highlighting in Microsoft Word, or placing an image over content makes the text invisible to the eye — but the data remains in the file. Anyone can extract it by selecting and copying, by searching the document, or by examining the file's underlying structure.
True redaction destroys the data. The most secure method — pixel-burn redaction — renders the document as an image and permanently destroys the pixels where sensitive information appeared. There is no text layer to copy from, no metadata to extract, and no hidden content to reveal. Read about 10 famous redaction failures →
Redacted in Everyday Life
You encounter redaction more often than you might think:
- Renting an apartment: A landlord asks for bank statements. You redact account numbers and transaction details, leaving only the balance visible. What to redact on a bank statement →
- Starting a new job: HR needs proof of identity but you redact your Social Security number from the copy you provide.
- Filing taxes: A mortgage lender needs your tax return. You redact SSNs before sending. How to redact a tax return →
- Legal proceedings: Court filings include personal information that must be redacted under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 — SSNs, names of minors, financial account numbers, and dates of birth.
- FOIA requests: Government agencies release public records with exempt information redacted — classified material, personal privacy, trade secrets, and law enforcement details.
- Healthcare: Medical records shared between providers have patient identifiers redacted under HIPAA's minimum necessary standard.
The Original Meaning of "Redact"
The word "redact" comes from the Latin redigere, meaning "to drive back" or "to reduce." Its original English meaning (dating to the 18th century) was simply "to edit" or "to prepare a text for publication" — a neutral editorial term.
The modern meaning — removing sensitive information — emerged in the 20th century, primarily through government and legal usage. When the Freedom of Information Act was passed in 1966, "redaction" became the standard term for the process of removing exempt information from government records before public release. Today, "redacted" almost exclusively refers to the removal of sensitive content, not general editing.
Redacted Text: What It Looks Like
Redacted text typically appears as solid black bars or rectangles covering the original content. The bars may vary in length, corresponding to the amount of text removed. Some organizations use other visual indicators:
- Black bars: The standard approach. Solid black rectangles replace the sensitive text.
- White boxes with labels: Some government agencies use white boxes labeled with the exemption code (e.g., "b(6)" for FOIA personal privacy exemption).
- [REDACTED] placeholder: The word "[REDACTED]" replaces the sensitive content. Common in transcripts and text documents.
- Colored bars: Some organizations use different colors to indicate different categories of redacted information (e.g., blue for PII, red for classified).
Regardless of the visual style, the critical requirement is that the underlying data is actually removed — not just hidden behind the visual indicator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "heavily redacted" mean?
A "heavily redacted" document is one where a large portion of the content has been removed — sometimes entire pages. This term is commonly used in news reporting about government document releases where extensive information was deemed exempt from public disclosure. A heavily redacted document may have more blacked-out text than visible text.
What does "unredacted" mean?
An "unredacted" document is the original version with all information intact — nothing removed or blacked out. Courts sometimes order parties to provide unredacted versions under seal (accessible only to the judge) while the public version remains redacted. Unredacted versions are typically restricted to authorized individuals.
Can you redact an email?
Yes. Emails can be redacted by converting them to PDF and using a redaction tool. This is common in legal discovery (e-discovery), FOIA responses, and corporate investigations where email contents must be shared with certain information removed.
Is redaction permanent?
When done correctly, yes. Properly redacted information cannot be recovered by any means. However, poorly executed "redaction" using methods like black highlighting or text boxes can be reversed easily. The permanence of redaction depends entirely on the tool and method used. Learn more about permanent data redaction →
What is the difference between redaction and deletion?
Redaction removes specific portions of a document while preserving the rest. Deletion removes the entire document or file. You redact when you need to share a document with certain information removed. You delete when the entire document should no longer exist.
How do I redact a document?
The fastest method is to use an AI-powered redaction tool like SafeRedact. Upload a PDF, let the AI detect sensitive information, review the detections, and apply permanent redaction. The entire process takes under a minute. Compare redaction tools →