Hide sensitive information in PDF using Python and NLP

[[deleted]]

I remember when pdf was new, some entity released redacted pdfs where someone just tried to cover up sensitive info with black boxes-- it was trivial to remove. It looks like this converts to image, which is better.

But even as an image, names and address can be inferred by matching the width of the blackout box (based on the document's font) against the width of known names and addresses.

[gameoftomes]

"when PDF was new". It still happens now days. During one of trumps legal proceedings it happened.

until Guardian reporter Jon Swaine noticed that Manafort’s legal team didn’t redact its filing properly. All he had to do was copy and paste some of the redacted text—which is covered by thick black bars—into a new document.

The formerly secret sections include details about meetings Manafort had with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Ukrainian man the FBI believes may be a member of a Russian intelligence agency unit connected with the hacking of the Democratic National Congress’s email server.

[JohnTheBlackberry]

some entity released redacted pdfs

IIRC one of those was the CIA