Xerox revolutionises redaction

OLD-SCHOOL researchers at Xerox have come up with a bit of intelligence software that the spooks at the CIA would be proud of.

Called Intelligent Redaction, the new Xerox software can automagically remove sensitive information from a document and generate a new, dumbed-down copy. It manages this by using natural language processing to 'understand' what the document is saying, then remove requested information in context.

It doesn't, however, strike an amusing black felt marker across the document. Instead, the information is removed and encrypted to prevent it being read by an unauthorised user. However, rather than being removed entirely, the information can be left with the document, only to be read by those with appropriate 'clearance' to decode the encryption.

Is it just us, or does that sound like merely sticking a Post-it over the offending information, rather than redacting it?

Indeed, Xerox says that many in the financial industry want 'reversible' redaction. Obviously, that's a stunning idea.

Perhaps government around the world could use this as a brand new way to leak information. Stranger things have happened. µ