What is document redaction?
Document redaction is permanently removing or blacking out sensitive information in a document - names, figures, personal data - so it can be shared without exposing what has been hidden.
Redaction is selective concealment. Before a document goes to people who should not see every detail, the sensitive parts are removed: personal data, commercially sensitive numbers, third-party information, privileged passages. Done properly, the hidden content is gone from the file, not merely covered up.
The classic redaction failure is cosmetic hiding: a black box drawn over text, or a highlight colour, that still leaves the underlying words in the file. Anyone can copy the text out or remove the box. True redaction deletes the content and flattens the result so nothing recoverable remains beneath the mark.
Redaction sits alongside access control rather than replacing it. You redact to change what a document says; you gate and track to control who sees the document at all. Confidential sharing usually needs both.
In 99 Data Rooms
How it works here.
Redaction is best done in your document before upload, so the removed content never reaches the data room. In 99 Data Rooms you then control the redacted file the rest of the way: share it as a tracked link gated by verified email, passcode or NDA acceptance, watermark each viewer's copy on the Business tier, and revoke access at any time - all UK-hosted and encrypted at rest.
Common questions
Document redaction, in short.
Why isn't drawing a black box over text enough?
Because the text usually remains in the file underneath. Copying the document or removing the shape can reveal it. Proper redaction deletes the underlying content, not just its appearance on screen.
Does redaction replace access control?
No. Redaction changes what a document reveals; access control decides who can open it at all. For confidential sharing you generally want both - a properly redacted file, shared through a gated, tracked link.
Related terms
What is granular access control?
Granular access control is the ability to set precisely who can see or do what, document by document and person by person, rather than granting all-or-nothing access to a whole folder.
DefinitionWhat is document watermarking?
Document watermarking stamps identifying information - such as the viewer's email and the date - onto a shared document, so a leaked copy can be traced back to who received it.
DefinitionWhat is a virtual data room?
A virtual data room (VDR) is a secure online space for sharing sensitive business documents with outside parties, where every viewer is controlled and every view is tracked.
Try it on a real document. Turn a PDF into a tracked, revocable link in a couple of minutes. Three rooms stay free for as long as you want them, no card required.