Redact Third-Party Data from DSARs/SARs — Fast, Accurately, and Privately
A subject access request entitles the individual to their personal data — not to every colleague's name in the same email thread. Redacting third-party data is mandatory in most packs. Missing a single identifier has triggered complaints and ICO interest in published cases. Ghost helps teams produce cleaner disclosures faster: on Pro and Team, AI-powered detection suggests redactions across long PDF exports. You review suggestions and export the final PDF.
Why DSAR redaction is harder than it looks
A single SAR can span years of email, PDF attachments, HRIS printouts, and meeting notes. Third parties appear unpredictably: "I spoke to Jane in Payroll," customer phone numbers in signatures, home addresses in flexible-working requests. Manual redaction does not scale to hundreds of pages under a one-month clock.
- Emails with multiple personal data subjects
- HR records referencing witnesses and managers
- Performance, sickness, and disciplinary narratives
- Scanned documents and mixed-orientation pages
Detection plus human sign-off
On Pro and Team, Ghost proposes redactions with AI-powered detection. Your team approves or adjusts. That division matches how DPOs want to work: automation for coverage, humans for fairness and exemption calls. Export only when review is complete (manual redaction on the free tier follows the same review discipline).
Compared to manual Acrobat-only workflows
Acrobat is precise when you already know where to click. On Pro, Ghost reduces the search problem by surfacing candidates across the document with AI-powered detection. Many teams use both: Ghost for first pass, Acrobat for edge cases — or stay in Ghost for standard PDF disclosures.
Privacy Request Manager (DSAR/SAR) for the full lifecycle
Redaction is one step. Ghost Privacy Request Manager (DSAR/SAR Manager) covers branded intake, identity verification tasks, deadline tracking, assignment, and secure delivery — so the same organisation does not juggle five spreadsheets and inboxes for every request.
Privacy posture
On Pro and Team, AI-powered detection analyses documents and suggests redactions. The free tier is manual redaction. DSAR case metadata in the Manager is stored under your org's workspace with normal app security controls. See our security page for how document processing works.