Investigation file redaction is the removal of personal data from a compiled case folder. The ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures expects a proportionate investigation before any sanction, and the Equality Act 2010 sets what the conduct is measured against. anonym.plus marks names, contacts, and dates on your device, so the findings stay usable while individuals are shielded.
When this applies
A case folder gathers interviews, emails, and notes that name many people. You strip those identifiers before the record travels beyond the lead investigator.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Point anonym.plus at the case folder on your machine.
- Built-in OCR reads scanned notes and printed emails.
- The app marks names, emails, and postal addresses.
- A shared map holds one label per person across the set.
- Review the summary and fix low-confidence markings.
- Save the clean folder locally.
What you need to provide
- The case folder (PDF, DOCX, mixed scans).
- The shared alias map for steady labels.
- An operator (Replace suits a multi-part file).
PII entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | interviewee A → [WITNESS_1] |
| Names | PERSON | the line manager → [RESPONDENT] |
| Contact | EMAIL_ADDRESS | a.user@example.co.uk → [EMAIL] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | meeting on 2 April → [DATE] |
| Location | LOCATION | Leeds branch → [LOCATION] |
| Identifiers | UK_NINO | QQ 12 34 56 C → [NINO] |
Compliance achieved
- Keeps the fair-process trail the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures expects, from investigation through to appeal.
- Preserves the evidence a reasonableness review under ERA 1996 s.98(4) turns on — including how wide the investigation itself went.
- Matters because a tribunal may adjust an award by up to 25% under TULRCA 1992 s.207A where the Code was not followed.
- Applies data minimisation under UK GDPR Art. 5(1)(c): a decision-maker needs the finding, not every bystander's contact details.
- Weighs the third-party rights that UK GDPR Art. 15(4) and DPA 2018 Sch. 2 Part 3 put in play once the file is requested.
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Limitations & cautions
Protecting a person who came forward is hard. A rare event in the narrative can re-identify them once names are gone. The app flags named items; it cannot decide whether your investigation was proportionate, which is what s.98(4) and the ACAS Code are judged on. Read the compiled notes for indirect clues before you share the folder.
Frequently asked questions
Can I process the whole folder at once?
Yes. Batch mode handles up to 20 files per local run, and the shared map keeps each person to one label across the set.
Does redacting the file change what the ACAS Code requires?
No. The Code governs the process — investigate, put the case, hold a meeting, allow an appeal. Redaction protects the people named in the resulting record.
Will labels stay consistent file to file?
Yes. Turn on the alias map so one individual maps to one pseudonym. Turn it off when you need true anonymity.