Redaction software and data protection: 7 questions

“Our IT and data protection officer have to approve anything new.” With redaction software, data protection is the first thing they’ll ask about, because the tool handles the very documents you want to protect. Here are seven questions to ask any redaction tool before you say yes. For each, a short answer for Dress Docs and a link to the full answer in our compliance pack. The pack is written for your review; this article is the map.

Redaction software and data protection: what’s at stake

Under the GDPR, the controller must build data protection into the means of processing it chooses (Art. 25). The EDPB’s guidelines 4/2019 say this includes the time of procuring software, hardware and services. They add that controllers should not choose producers or processors whose systems don’t support that duty. If a vendor processes personal data on your behalf, Article 28 requires a contract with it (Art. 28; EDPB guidelines 07/2020). Organizations in scope of NIS2 must also manage supply-chain security, including their relationships with direct suppliers (NIS2 Art. 21).

The questions below turn those duties into things you can check.

Where does the document go?

If the tool uploads the file, the vendor holds a copy of the very data you’re removing. Dress Docs: your document never leaves your device. Opening, redacting and exporting happen in the browser or app; no document, page or excerpt is uploaded. Full answer: Data flow · Is it safe to upload documents online?

Who processes what?

The answer decides whether you need a processor contract, and for which data. Dress Docs: documents are processed only on your device, so, in the pack’s words, “we process no document content on your behalf”. For account data on paid plans, the controller is Vzlaio digital LLC (USA). “This is our reading of the GDPR roles, not legal advice; your data protection officer decides.” Full answer: We don’t process your documents

What else reaches the vendor?

Ask for the full list of what the tool sends, beyond the document. Dress Docs: cookieless page counts to our own analytics server in Germany, server logs with details such as IP address, time, page, referrer and browser, and error reports to Sentry in the United States with technical details only, never document content. On paid plans, e-mail and plan are held in the United States, and Stripe takes the payment. Full answer: Telemetry, stated plainly

Does the redaction hold?

A cover that can be lifted off is a disclosure, not a redaction. Dress Docs: each exported page is one flat image, so nothing under a cover is in the file; author, title, producer, dates and the PDF fingerprint are cleared. We self-assessed it against ISO/IEC 27038; it holds no certification. Full answer: Redaction method · What ISO/IEC 27038 asks of a redaction tool

Saved work and deletion on the device

Ask what stays on the machine, and how it goes. Dress Docs: documents are temporary by default, and ID copies always are. Saved work is opt-in, saved in this browser on this device and encrypted with the user’s passphrase; “Delete everything on this device” deletes your saved work and destroys its key. The redaction log (Pro) is saved to the user’s own files and holds no document content (the redaction log). Full answer: Storage on the device

Accessibility

Public bodies in the UK must meet WCAG 2.2 AA on their own websites and apps, and the government’s guidance asks them to put accessibility into procurement (gov.uk). Dress Docs: built to WCAG 2.2 AA; no formal evaluation has been published yet. On the Organization plan, you can request a conformance report. Full answer: Accessibility statement

Invoices and seats

Procurement will want to know who bills, and how seats are managed. Dress Docs: Team manages seats for your firm, with VAT invoices issued through Stripe, the merchant of record. Organization adds support with the compliance pack: review calls and answers to your questionnaires. Full answer: Pricing · Request a quote

What we don’t claim is stated too: no certification, and not “GDPR compliant” by itself. A tool helps you share and hold less personal data; compliance is your organization’s (what we don’t claim). For the full answers, read the compliance pack.