Are the redaction tools in the LIT SUITE apps permanent?

The redaction tools in TrialPad and DocReviewPad are useful to conceal text or part of an image that should not be seen during a presentation, or when documents are produced. It is important to know that the way the redaction tool works in TrialPad is very different from the way it works in DocReviewPad.

Because TrialPad is an app used for presentation, the Redaction tool will place an annotation in the form of a box, in either black or white, to conceal part of the document or image. The redaction annotation is just like a highlight or other annotation, in that it is not permanent and you can Undo or Clear a redaction. This means that it may be possible for the redaction to be removed from the document using a third-party desktop application after it has been exported and shared with someone else, thereby revealing the underlying information.

DocReviewPad also has a Redaction tool that will place an annotation in the form of a box, in either black or white, to conceal part of the document or image. You can also Undo or Clear a redaction in DocReviewPad. However, during the export process from DocReviewPad, any redaction is rendered and made permanent so it cannot be removed from the document using a third-party desktop application.

Because of this, caution should be exercised in sharing documents or images that have been redacted, and only share documents that have been redacted and exported from DocReviewPad.