One of the many tools that organizations can use to redact video is automatic redaction software, which uses algorithms and machine learning to automatically identify and remove sensitive information from the video. While automatic redaction software can be a useful tool in certain circumstances, it is important to be aware of this technology's potential risks and limitations. Here are a few reasons why automatic redaction software could be your biggest enemy:
Automatic redaction software relies on specific trained algorithms to identify and remove sensitive information from the video. Regardless of the type of data that these algorithms were trained on, they are not perfect. When leaning on automatic software, there is always a risk that some sensitive information may not be properly identified and tracked from beginning to end. This can be highly problematic if the automatic algorithm begins to recognize unwanted objects as faces. In computer vision, this unwanted attribute is due to a high confidence setting. A high confidence setting generally refers to a setting where the model is less conservative in making predictions, and is more likely to predict a class or label with higher probability. This is often used in applications where the cost of false positives (predicting an event when it does not occur) is high, such as in facial recognition. In the case of automatically redacting video, a high confidence setting can cause a large number of false positives and decrease the overall accuracy of the software.
Another topic of discussion when deciding if automatic redaction software is the right choice for you is likely the cost. This software can be expensive for initial training and the annual license. Often, online redaction platforms will charge by the amount of data uploaded, which could add up quickly with high-quality videos produced by the latest body worn cameras.
Even with automatic redaction software, it is important to review the video to ensure that all sensitive information has been properly removed. This can be a time-consuming process, especially if the software has missed crucial information. Frustrations can build as more time is spent manually removing the items that have been tagged incorrectly.
Automatic redaction software may not be able to handle specific proprietary formats or rare codecs that can often come as part of the redaction request. We have another posting on handling proprietary video files, which you can read HERE. Complex videos and proprietary formats can be frustrating and may require you to revert back to your other tools to complete the process.
Overall, while automatic redaction software can be a helpful tool, it is essential to be aware of all the limitations and to use it in combination with other redaction tools to ensure that all sensitive information is appropriately removed from the video.
If you would like more information about redacting video, or need to consult with our experts, please feel free to contact us today. We are here to help and would enjoy working with you!
