Redact Info from PDF: March 2025's Endpoint of the Month

PDF redaction aims to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure by permanently removing confidential information from a PDF document. This approach is used in scenarios where specific data must be protected, such as government publications, corporate reports, medical records, and other legal documents. However, this process can be quite lengthy since one must first see what information is considered confidential, and then, remove it one by one from the PDF document(s).

Luckily, we have recently released a new feature called "Redact Sensitive Information from PDF" which can automate the whole confidential information removal process. Therefore, in this blog, we would like to showcase this innovative but practical endpoint.

How This Feature Benefits You

• Compliance: We make sure that private data is protected by complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
• Privacy Protection: Black boxes will cover the specified private information, such as personal identifiable information (PII), financial data, or other sensitive details.
• Automation: Once set up, our feature can automatically identify specific sensitive information with the help of AI and OCR technology.
• Integration: The Redact PDF endpoint can be integrated with other apps and 0CodeKit endpoints to optimize your workflows.

Set It Up

The first step is to upload the desired document into a storage solution, such as Dropbox or Google Drive. Then, we sign up or log into one automation platform where this feature is available (Make, Zapier, and n8n).

After that, we can set up the first Dropbox/Google Drive module and choose the event called "Create/Update a Share Link", which will create a URL for the confidential documents. This way, 0CodeKit will be able to redact the PDF. To set it up, we need to choose the specific folder or file that we want to redact, give the link full access so it can analyze and remove specific information, and eliminate password requirement.

Then, we integrate a 0CodeKit module with the event "Redact Sensitive Information from PDF File" that will cover all confidential information. For the important part, we now have to tell the endpoint what should be considered sensitive content, we have to add the "Download URL" icon for 0CodeKit to access the document, what language is used in the document (optional), and give the file a name.

Later, we need an HTTP module with the event "Get a File" that will take the redacted PDF to send it back to Dropbox. Here, we only need to enter the "URL" icon into the URL field.

Finally, we add another Dropbox module with the event "Upload a File". We only need to choose the folder we want to upload it to, and click on "HTTP - Get a File". Once done, we can execute the scenario and receive our redacted PDF.