FOIA PDF Redaction — Free Tool for Exemption Redactions
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) responses require agencies to redact information falling under specific exemptions — personal identifiers (Exemption 6), law enforcement records (Exemption 7), privileged information (Exemption 5), and others.
Start Redacting for Free →FOIA Redaction Requirements
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) responses require agencies to redact information falling under specific exemptions — personal identifiers (Exemption 6), law enforcement records (Exemption 7), privileged information (Exemption 5), and others. Our free browser-based tool lets government staff and agencies apply permanent redactions to FOIA documents without uploading sensitive files to any third-party server.
- FOIA Exemption 6 — personal privacy information (SSNs, addresses, medical records) must be redacted
- FOIA Exemption 7 — law enforcement information that could identify informants or reveal techniques
- FOIA Exemption 5 — deliberative process, attorney-client, and work product privilege
- Redactions must be permanent — the underlying text must be deleted, not just visually covered
How to Redact — 3 Simple Steps
Open the FOIA Document
Select your FOIA response PDF. It loads locally in your browser — never transmitted to any server, keeping government records fully contained.
Apply Exemption Redactions
Draw redaction boxes over exempt information, or use Search & Redact to find and remove personal identifiers, names, and sensitive terms across all pages.
Download the Redacted Response
Download the permanently redacted FOIA document ready for release. All redacted information is permanently deleted from the file structure.
Key Features
🔒 Your Files Never Leave Your Device
Unlike tools that upload your PDFs to remote servers, our tool processes everything locally in your browser using WebAssembly. No server ever sees your documents — not even us. This makes it one of the most private PDF tools available, completely free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is browser-based processing acceptable for government FOIA documents?
Our tool processes files entirely in your browser using WebAssembly — the file is never transmitted over the network. For classified documents, consult your agency's information security policy.
Can I redact hundreds of pages efficiently?
Yes — Search & Redact finds and redacts all instances of a text pattern across every page in one step, making large FOIA responses manageable.
Are the redactions truly permanent as required?
Yes — our tool permanently deletes the underlying text data. The content cannot be recovered by any means, complying with FOIA permanent redaction requirements.
Can I use this for state-level public records requests (FOIA equivalents)?
Yes — state sunshine laws and public records acts have the same permanent redaction requirements as federal FOIA. Our tool satisfies them equally.
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