Need to remove personal data from documents? AI detects names, emails, addresses, identifiers, and other personal data covered by GDPR.
No signup required • unlimited free documents (with watermark)
GDPR requires organizations to minimize personal data collection and retention. When sharing documents externally, data subject access requests, or archiving, you may need to remove personal data that's no longer necessary for the original purpose.
SafeRedact identifies personal data categories defined by GDPR: names, contact information, identification numbers, location data, and online identifiers. Review what AI finds, then permanently redact with one click.
The regulation doesn't use the word "redaction" — but its core principles make redaction essential for compliance.
Personal data must be "adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed." When sharing documents externally — with vendors, auditors, or in response to legal requests — any personal data not required for the specific purpose should be removed.
This is the legal basis for redacting documents before sharing them outside your organisation.
Data subjects can request copies of their personal data. But those documents often contain other people's data too — employee names, third-party contact details, internal notes about other individuals. Article 15(4) states the right to obtain a copy "shall not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others." You must redact third-party personal data before responding.
When a data subject requests deletion of their data, organisations must remove personal data from all documents — including PDFs, scanned contracts, and archived files. Redaction is often the most practical way to comply when documents contain both personal and business-critical information.
Organisations must implement appropriate technical measures to ensure data minimisation. Using automated redaction tools — rather than relying on manual review — demonstrates "data protection by design and by default" as required by this article.
Names, ID numbers, passport numbers, and other identifiers.
Email addresses, phone numbers, and postal addresses.
Addresses, postcodes, and geographic identifiers.
Redact third-party personal data before providing documents to data subjects.
Anonymize documents for archival while removing personal identifiers.
Remove personal data before sharing documents with vendors or partners.
De-identify documents for use in analysis and reporting.
GDPR fines can reach €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover — whichever is higher. Recent enforcement actions show regulators are serious.
€1.2B
Meta (2023)
Fined by Ireland's DPC for transferring EU personal data to the US without adequate safeguards. The largest GDPR fine to date.
€746M
Amazon (2021)
Luxembourg's CNPD issued this fine for processing personal data in violation of GDPR's data minimisation principles.
€405M
Meta / Instagram (2022)
Irish DPC fine for failing to protect children's personal data — processing data beyond what was necessary.
€90M
Average large fine (2023)
Across all EU data protection authorities, 2023 saw over 2,000 enforcement actions. Most involved inadequate data minimisation or retention.
You don't need to be a tech giant. SMEs and public bodies are fined too — the median fine in 2023 was €18,000.
Whether responding to a DSAR or sharing documents with third parties, follow this process.
Determine the lawful basis for sharing and what personal data is necessary for that specific purpose.
Upload documents to SafeRedact. AI detects personal data categories — names, identifiers, contact details, location data.
Your team reviews each detection. Keep what's necessary, redact what isn't. Human judgment, AI speed.
Redacted data is pixel-burned — excluded from the output file entirely. No hidden text layers, no metadata leaks.
SafeRedact is a tool to assist with identifying and removing personal data from documents. It does not provide legal advice and is not a substitute for professional GDPR compliance guidance. Organizations are responsible for determining what constitutes personal data in their specific context and ensuring their data processing activities comply with applicable regulations.
Redact unlimited documents for free (with watermark). No signup required.
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