Redaction Rules

The “Redaction Rules” feature in the Case management module of Retention CRM offers a powerful tool for Associations, Chambers of Commerce, and Nonprofits to protect sensitive information within case files. These rules allow automatic redaction of specific data before sharing case documents. This ensures confidentiality while maintaining transparency.

How to Use “Redaction Rules” Feature in Association Management

For instance, a nursing association might handle cases involving patient information. Using Redaction Rules, they can automatically redact names, addresses, and Social Security numbers before sharing case documents with external parties. This protects patient privacy while allowing collaboration on the case itself. Here’s an example of a hypothetical Redaction Rule for membership organizations.

Field	Option	Description
Match Value or Expression	Vancouver	This rule will redact any instance of “Vancouver” within the case file.
Replacement	city_	Matched values will be replaced with “city_” followed by a unique code (e.g., city_39121).
Description		Leave blank for this specific rule.
Order	(Not Applicable Here)	This defines the order rules are processed in (higher = processed earlier). Not relevant when using only one rule.
Reserved	No	This indicates if the rule is reserved for system use. Leave as “No”.
Enabled?	Yes	Activate the rule to redact “Vancouver” during redaction.

 

Second Example

Field	Option	Description (Nursing Association Context)
Match Value or Expression	/(19|20)(\d{2})-(\d{1,2})-(\d{1,2})/	This is a regular expression that matches dates in format YYYY-MM-DD (from 2019 onwards).
Replacement	date_	Matched dates will be replaced with “date_” followed by a unique code.
Description		Leave blank for this specific rule.
Order	(Not Applicable Here)	This defines the order rules are processed in (higher = processed earlier). Not relevant when using only one rule.
Reserved	No	This indicates if the rule is reserved for system use. Leave as “No”.
Enabled?	Yes	Activate the rule to redact dates.

Add Redaction Rule

The “Add Redaction Rule” section allows creating new rules. You can define:

• Match Value or Expression: Enter the text or regular expression to be redacted (e.g., specific names, phone numbers).
• Replacement (prefix): Choose a prefix for the replacement code (e.g., “name_”, “phone_”).
• Regular Expression?: Select “Yes” if using a regular expression for matching, “No” for plain text.
• Description: (Optional) Add a brief description of the rule.

By creating and enabling these rules, Nonprofits, Associations and Chambers of Commerce can ensure sensitive information is automatically redacted before sharing case documents, protecting patient privacy while enabling effective case management.

More Use Cases for Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Nonprofits

Association Protects Member Identity in Scholarship Applications (Regular Expression)

An association offering scholarships wants to ensure applicant privacy while allowing reviewers to assess their qualifications. They create a redaction rule with the following details:

• Match Value or Expression: [A-Z][a-z]+\s[A-Z][a-z]+ (Regular Expression)
• Replacement (prefix): applicant_name_
• Regular Expression?: Yes
• Description: Redact applicant full names

This redaction rule uses a regular expression to match any combination of uppercase and lowercase letters followed by a space, then another uppercase letter followed by lowercase letters (e.g., John Doe). Any such instance will be replaced with a code like “applicant_name_1” for the first applicant, “applicant_name_2” for the second, and so on. Reviewers can assess qualifications based on anonymized applications while the association protects member privacy.

Chamber of Commerce Redacts Salary Details in Job Postings

A chamber of commerce wants to share job postings from member businesses but anonymize salary details to avoid creating a bias during the initial application stage. They implement a redaction rule like this:

• Match Value or Expression: \$[0-9,]+ (Plain Text)
• Replacement (prefix): competitive_salary_
• Regular Expression?: No
• Description: Redact specific salary figures

This rule targets any text starting with a dollar sign ($) followed by a combination of numbers and commas (e.g., $120,000). These instances will be replaced with “competitive_salary_” throughout the job posting. Applicants will be drawn to the opportunity without being discouraged by a specific salary range until the later interview stages.

Non-Profit Redacts Donor Information in Grant Reports

A non-profit wants to share grant recipient information in reports but protect the privacy of their donors. They create a two-step redaction process:

• Rule 1 (Plain Text):
  • Match Value or Expression: [A-Z][a-z]+ [A-Z][a-z]+ Foundation (Plain Text)
  • Replacement (prefix): [redacted]_foundation_
  • Regular Expression?: No
  • Description: Redact donor foundation names
• Rule 2 (Regular Expression):
  • Match Value or Expression: \d{3}-\d{3}-\d{4} (Regular Expression)
  • Replacement (prefix): [redacted]_
  • Regular Expression?: Yes
  • Description: Redact donor phone numbers (assuming a common format)

This combined approach ensures both foundation names and phone numbers are anonymized. The report can acknowledge funders’ generosity while maintaining donor privacy.