[feature request] anonymize PDFs via UI redaction (Drawing black rectangle etc)

[mokkin]

Another cool feature would be to anonymize specific parts of PDF files.

1. Upload the original PDF
2. select areas to anonymize
3. anonymize file
4. download anonymized PDF

[Frooodle]

"select areas to anonymize"
What does this actually mean and involve in this feature? Do you mean remove or redact it or change it's metadata or..?

Can you explain the general process

[mokkin]

Of course.
I mean to redact in and remove the original information to use it anonymously.

The best explanation can you find here in another software: https://code-industry.net/masterpdfeditor-help/redacting-pdf-document/

[lilotter45]

Just to add a little more description of the workflow in a couple other pdf editors that have this feature:

This is a feature I've used regularly in both Adobe Acrobat and Foxit PDF; they both have a similar approach:

• They give multiple options for applying redaction:
  • Manually select text and images
  • Redact entire pages
  • Search and redact (similar in functionality to Stirling PDF's Auto Redact feature)
• When manually selecting text, both allow you to highlight a section of text (could be a single letter to an entire block of text), then they "draw" a red box around the selected text to mark it for redaction. You can also draw a box around the picture/text
• When marking text to be redacted, it does just that, first marks it (with the red box/outline) and when you are finished you confirm your intention then the marked text blocks have a black box drawn over them.

Foxit PDF screenshots:

Redaction menu:

Text highlighting (not visible in the screenshot is the cursor for selecting text):

Highlighted text marked for redaction:

Highlight a custom area to be redacted:

Highlighted area marked for redaction:

Redaction applied:

[louispires]

It would also be beneficial to manually be able to select text to be redacted:

When highlighting words/text manually, only that word/text gets redacted

[omar-ahmed42]

@Frooodle I forgot to inform you that I'm currently working on this issue/feature

[xuzhu007]

I would like to know when this feature will be available. I urgently need this feature, thank you.

[Frooodle]

This is our next priority feature coming soon!

[xuzhu007]

@Frooodle Thank you for your feedback. Do you have an estimated release date? I’m really looking forward to this feature.

[Frooodle]

With Christmas holidays coming up timing is very unpredictable 😂
So I won't give any estimates :)

At least a week and less than 2 months 😂

[xuzhu007]

@omar-ahmed42 Hello, I would like to inquire about this feature. What is the technical plan you have in mind? Are you planning to use pdf.js to add a mask layer on top?

[omar-ahmed42]

@omar-ahmed42 Hello, I would like to inquire about this feature. What is the technical plan you have in mind? Are you planning to use pdf.js to add a mask layer on top?

@xuzhu007 Hello, My plan was to use PDF.js to display the PDF and provide custom tools for redaction in the toolbar, based on the chosen/selected tool a corresponding redaction mode is enabled allowing the user to select/draw redactions on top of the document, then submitting the document for processing and performing the redaction process on the actual PDF in the backend.

At the same time providing the user with option to redact certain pages entirely, whether by specifying page number(s), range(s) or functions such as (2n) for even page numbers for example.