what is redaction

Redaction is the process of editing a document to remove or obscure sensitive or confidential information. It can also refer to a form of editing in literature where multiple sources of texts are combined and altered slightly to make a single document. Redaction can involve selecting or adapting information for publication or release, obscuring or removing text from a document prior to publication or release, or permanently removing information from electronic documents. Attorneys may often need to redact legal documents to protect attorney-client privilege and confidentiality. Proper redaction requires more than just obscuring text with a black box, and often requires proper software or add-ons to properly redact.