9 Proven ways Secure Redact beats competing redaction solutions
Redaction tools are everywhere these days. But many make big promises and deliver partial protection. Secure Redact, built by Pimloc, distinguishes itself with real-world capabilities that outpace most competitors. Below are nine proven ways Secure Redact beats competing redaction solutions - by speed, accuracy, security, flexibility, and more.
1. High accuracy, especially for video & audio PII detection
Secure Redact is built specifically for video and audio, where most redaction tools struggle. Its AI automatically detects and flags over 99% of sensitive data for redaction - such as faces, license plates, and screens - so they can be blurred or obscured before release.
Competing tools often can’t match this performance in multimedia content; many fall back on manual review or simple masking.
2. Speed: From hours to minutes
Manual redaction of video is slow: hours for footage that could easily eat up budget and time. Secure Redact makes redaction fast:
A 10-minute CCTV video can be redacted in about 10 minutes using Secure Redact.
Compared to traditional video editing methods, Secure Redact is 280× faster.
Competing software often lack automation or require lengthy manual edits, making them far slower for audio and video.
3. Broad media support: Video, audio, screens, live streams
Many redaction tools are strong in static documents but weak or non-existent in live video, audio, or screen content. Secure Redact covers more ground:
It supports redaction of screen text, screens/displays, PDAs, mobile data terminals (MDTs) in video content.
Also supports audio-only files as well as video + audio for CCTV, body-worn, dash cams etc.
Offers live video anonymisation and live video alerts & analytics.
Many competing tools focus only on video or only on document redaction; few have this kind of multimodal, live or “on-screen” support. Backed by partnerships with Microsoft, Cisco Meraki, and NICE, Secure Redact is built to slot into modern IT and security environments. These integrations simplify deployment while reinforcing compliance and security at scale.
4. Flexible deployment & jurisdictional control
One weakness of other solutions is that data may be processed in jurisdictions with different privacy laws, or their deployment is rigid. Secure Redact gives you options:
You can deploy as SaaS, via APIs, use partner platforms, or even have enterprise-tailored setups.
There are strong options for data sovereignty: UK/EU and US dedicated data processing. For example, US customers’ data is processed in West Virginia; UK/EU customers in Ireland.
That means less risk of running afoul of GDPR, CCPA or other privacy obligations. Many tools don’t clearly offer or advertise such jurisdictional control.
5. Strong audio-redaction via NER & transcript-based tools
Audio redaction is often the weak link in many products - speech, ambient noise, people talking, etc. Secure Redact has recently introduced or enhanced audio redaction using NER:
Automatically identifies key entities (names, dates, locations) in audio, so users can more easily review and redact those parts.
Generates transcripts making it easier to locate which parts of audio need redaction.
Competing tools may do rudimentary audio redaction or manual clipping, but few combine robust automated detection with NER and transcript support.
6. Enterprise-grade & scalable for bulk / high-volume tasks
When you have many incidents, CCTV footage, or large datasets, you need scale. Secure Redact handles volume more gracefully:
Supports bulk and automated uploads as Enterprise customers.
Custom redaction tracking and classification tools to track objects and areas in video.
Some competing solutions only let you process video one file at a time, or don’t offer well-defined enterprise workflows.
7. Privacy compliance & auditability
Security claims without proof don’t cut it. Secure Redact includes features that help with compliance and auditing:
Offers full audit trails: who redacted what and when.
It supports compliance with GDPR, CCPA. For sensitive sectors like healthcare, it supports HIPAA (or helps with HIPAA compliance) and is penetration-tested etc.
Tools that lack strong audit logs, or do redaction but leave hidden metadata, are riskier.
8. Integrations with existing systems / VMS / DEMS
A key friction point in redaction projects is moving video or audio between systems. Secure Redact reduces friction by integrating well:
It integrates with VMS (Video Management Systems) / DEMS (Digital Evidence Management Systems) such as Milestone XProtect.
Also provides APIs for custom workflows.
These integrations mean fewer manual exports/imports, less risk of misuse, faster workflows. Many competing tools are more siloed.
9. Advanced features like live-anonymisation / screen/display blurring
Beyond just after-the-fact redaction, Secure Redact offers features that some competitors simply don’t:
Live video anonymization - meaning anonymising feeds in real time.
Screen redaction / screen displays / PDAs / MDTs detection and automated redaction. That’s valuable when sensitive info is shown on monitors or devices in video.
Many tools only allow post-recording redaction, and don’t automatically or accurately pick up screens or device displays.
What Secure Redact doesn’t claim (So you know what to compare)
To be fair, it’s important to know where Secure Redact isn’t claiming perfection, so you can compare other tools more evenly:
No redaction tool is 100% perfect across all footage in all lighting/situations. Secure Redact states that "no solution will ever be 100% accurate across all real-world content" but that recall is over 99%.
Some advanced or niche media types may need manual oversight or custom tuning.
Pricing and user-volume costs are not always trivial for enterprise; while Secure Redact offers flexible deployment, users will need to assess cost vs usage.
Summary
Put simply: Secure Redact isn’t just another redaction tool. It combines:
Automated, high-recall detection (video + audio + screens)
Real speed (minutes vs hours)
Jurisdictional control & secure deployments
Strong compliance & audit features
Full support for enterprise workflows and integrations
For organizations dealing with large volumes of video/audio evidence, privacy regulations, or needing real-time/near-real-time redaction, Secure Redact tends to outshine many tools that focus only on documents or manual redaction. If you’re comparing redaction solutions, make sure you measure not just what they say, but what they deliver when you throw complex, messy, real-world media at them.
FAQs
-
Yes - especially if you need to handle video, audio, or screen content. Many document-focused tools can’t detect license plates, faces in CCTV, or spoken names/locations automatically. Secure Redact covers all these and excels in multimedia PII detection.
-
While Secure Redact’s models return over 99% recall in many PII detection use-cases, no AI model is perfect in every situation. Poor lighting, occlusions, heavy noise can reduce accuracy. That’s why Secure Redact includes tools for review, un-redaction (making some parts visible), and manual correction.
-
Yes. It supports integration with major VMS/DEMS platforms (e.g. Milestone XProtect), as well as open APIs. Enterprise customers can set up workflows that move video/audio data between systems with minimal friction.
-
Secure Redact processes data in jurisdictions depending on your region: US customers’ data in West Virginia, UK/EU in Ireland, etc. It provides audit trails, supports GDPR, CCPA, and (for health/audits) helps with HIPAA-type requirements. Regular security audits and penetration testing are also part of its setup.
-
Pricing depends on usage, volume, enterprise features. While Secure Redact isn’t always the cheapest for small, document-only redaction needs, its performance, automation, and breadth of supported media often make it more cost-effective when factoring in time saved, risk reduction, and compliance value.
-
Secure Redact offers options like a free account and API keys for testing. For small-scale use, minimal setup is required. Larger enterprise deployment (with integrations, multiple sites, bulk workflows) might require more configuration or developer involvement.