Skip to main content

Redact a document

Redact a document when part of it cannot be shown, such as a private telephone number in a letter. Chiban never changes the original. It makes a new copy with the covered areas removed, and the copy stays private until someone approves it. Land use staff and records custodians can redact. Chiban redacts PDF, JPEG and PNG files only.

Start from the right place​

For a Right-to-Know request, open the request, search for the document and choose Redact for this request. For any other document, open the record it belongs to, choose Manage on the document, then Redact this document.

Draw the boxes​

  1. Under The copy is for, choose The public website or A Right-to-Know request. If you came from a request, it is already set to the request.
  2. Drag on a page to draw a box over what must go, or choose Add a box to page for a box you can move. Long files show twelve pages at a time.
  3. For every box, choose an Exemption. If you choose Made confidential by another law, enter the Law that makes it confidential.
  4. Under How the exemption applies, write at least 20 characters.
  5. Use the move and resize buttons to nudge a box, or Remove this box.
  6. Choose Make the redacted copy.

Chiban needs at least one box and will not make the copy while any box lacks an exemption or explanation. If it cannot finish, it asks you to check that every box is on the page and try again.

Everything under a box is removed from the copy, text included, not just covered. For a PDF, Chiban also clears the file's hidden information and checks the result.

Approve the copy​

Making the copy releases nothing, and a custodian cannot publish it alone.

  • A copy for a request is approved in the release step on the request page. See Release records and close the request.
  • A copy for the public website is approved in the Documents section of the record's page. That needs the permission to show documents on the public site, which land use staff have and records custodians do not. A custodian makes the copy and a land use staff member approves it.