Improving Data Privacy with Selective PDF Splitting and Redaction

PDF format has long been the standard for sharing sensitive information such as personal identifiers, financial records, and confidential business records. However, data privacy has become a concern in this digital age, where sharing entire PDF documents can expose sensitive information by accident — this can lead to compliance risks and security breaches.

The best way to resolve these issues is to deploy selective PDF splitting and redaction tool. The goal is to split large PDFs into smaller, relevant sections, then redact sensitive parts for security purposes.

In this write-up, we've discussed how to split PDF using Python and securely redact documents in your business. Read on!

Issues Associated with Full Document Sharing

Imagine a scenario where a legal firm is sharing a multi-page contract to a third party, and only a few sections are relevant to that third party. So, if the rest of the content contains confidential data, such as internal policies, personal information, or financial details, it may pose significant security risks.

This is the reason selective PDF splitting and redaction is important when sharing PDF documents. It's particularly useful in sectors like healthcare and finance where data protection laws such as HIPAA and GDPR require organizations to protect clients’ sensitive information. If an organisation fails to comply with these laws, they risk being hit with hefty fines.

What is Selective PDF Splitting and Redaction

Selective PDF splitting refers to breaking a large PDF file into smaller files based on specific pages and sections. The goal is usually to separate one page into independent PDF files.

On the other hand, redaction refers to the process of permanently removing visible text and graphics from a PDF document. It aims to protect confidential data and comply with legal requirements.

Now, when these two processes are combined, they ensure you have controlled data sharing.

How to Implement Selective PDF Splitting and Redaction in Your Business

Here are the tips to help you implement selective PDF splitting and redaction in your business:

1.    Identify the Sensitive Content that Needs Protection

Identifying the sensitive content in your business lets you know who will be handling this process in your business. This includes Personal Identifiable Information (PII), health records, and legal documents that are prone to accidental oversharing and manual redaction inefficiencies.

2.    Choose the Right Tool

The tool you choose should be compatible with your system. It should also support automated redaction and batch processing to save you time.

Note that it must also completely remove the parts you want obscured, not just mask the text within a file.

3.    Implement a Secure PDF Splitting and Redaction

Be strategic to ensure you only redact what's necessary. So, instead of sharing a 200-page report, split it into relevant sections. It’s worth mentioning that you can automate splitting for batch processing using Python when dealing with recurring tasks.

How to Split a PDF Using Python

Since manual splitting and redaction are often tedious, the process below will discuss how to use automated tools (Python) to ensure you implement controlled data sharing in your business.

Here is the process:

1. Install the library that will help Python understand and work with PDF files.
2. Open your PDF document and create a new empty document.
3. Insert the program so Python knows how many pages it has.
4. Once Python has read each page, it will create new files that contain just the single pages and save them as new PDFs. 
5. Save the document. Be sure to tell Python where to save your new document on your computer.

2 Important Redaction Mistakes to Avoid

You don't want to put sensitive information at risk. In that case, avoid the following mistakes:

1. Relying on visual obscuration: Many people put black bars over text when hiding sensitive information. This method is not really secure because someone could copy-paste the “hidden” text. In that case, use a tool that can permanently remove the information you want.
2. Not removing sensitive metadata from files: This mistake usually leads to accidental leaks. Metadata contains the information describing a file. This includes author name, the date that file was created, and location. Of course, hackers can use such information to expose confidential details.

Final Thought

You’ll need more than a simple mark to redact documents, according to industry standards because cybersecurity has become a major issue for businesses and organizations.

In that case, we advise you to choose a tool that allows you to split PDF files and fully remove sensitive details. It's the best way to ensure your business is legally compliant and that it upholds confidentiality.

Ideally, the tool should be available for multiple devices, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.