Self-assessment redaction is the removal of identifiers from a review a person writes about their own work, so the writer stays private. A self-review is personal data the writer can ask for back under UK GDPR Article 15, and it often names colleagues who never agreed to appear. Recital 26 puts truly anonymous data beyond the rules. anonym.plus marks each name on your device, so the reflections stay useful while the person is hidden.
When this applies
A team studies how staff rate their own work against how managers rate it. You redact the writer and the colleagues named in passing first, so the comparison clears Recital 26.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the review in anonym.plus on your device.
- Built-in OCR reads a scanned response form.
- The app marks the writer and named peers.
- Confirm the markings and keep the rating scale.
- Swap each name for a neutral label.
- Save the cleaned entry locally.
What you need to provide
- The review (DOCX, PDF, or scan).
- An operator (Replace keeps reflections readable).
- Optional alias map, OFF for true anonymity.
PII entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | “I, Karl, met…” → [WRITER] |
| Names | PERSON | thanks to Mei → [PEER] |
| Contact | EMAIL_ADDRESS | karl@example.co.uk → [EMAIL] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | period 2025 → [PERIOD] |
| Org | ORGANIZATION | Ops Team → [TEAM] |
| Location | LOCATION | Nottingham site → [SITE] |
Compliance achieved
- Keeps a self-review answerable under UK GDPR Art. 15, since the writer can request their own file.
- Protects the colleagues a writer names in passing, in line with data minimisation in UK GDPR Art. 5(1)(c).
- Aims at the anonymity test in UK GDPR Recital 26 before entries are compared side by side.
- Runs offline across 340+ PII types, so a personal reflection never leaves the device.
Anonymise self-assessments offline — see plans & start free →
Limitations & cautions
Such a review is rich free text, so it is hard to anonymise. A unique project or a distinct voice can reveal who wrote it after the name goes. Read each entry before you share it.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a self-review hard to anonymise?
It is personal free text. A unique achievement or a distinct writing style can identify who wrote it after names go, which Recital 26 treats as non-anonymous.
What about colleagues named inside the review?
They are third parties whose data you did not set out to collect. Article 5(1)(c) limits you to what is adequate and relevant, so masking incidental names before any wider use is the cleaner route.
Does it hide peers the writer names?
Yes. It marks the writer and any colleagues mentioned, so you can mask each one.
Is the entry uploaded?
No. The app is fully offline, so it stays on your device.