CV anonymisation is the removal of personal data from a job seeker's submission before review. Blind sifting supports the Equality Act 2010 by hiding protected characteristics such as age, sex, race, and religion. anonym.plus marks names, photos, and origin cues on your own machine, so reviewers see skills, not identity.
When this applies
Names, schools, and addresses can trigger bias before a single skill is read. You hide those cues so the panel scores merit alone.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the submission in anonym.plus on your workstation.
- Built-in OCR reads any scanned or image-based page.
- The app marks names, contacts, and origin cues.
- Confirm each marking and keep job titles and skills.
- Swap each cue for a neutral label, or black it out.
- Keep the alias map ON if you must re-link the person later.
What you need to provide
- The submission (PDF, DOCX, or TXT).
- An operator: Replace (swap), Redact (black out), or Mask (partial).
- The optional alias map, ON for blind review, OFF for true anonymity.
PII entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | Imogen Hartley → [CANDIDATE] |
| Contact | EMAIL_ADDRESS | imogen@example.co.uk → [EMAIL] |
| Contact | PHONE_NUMBER | +44 7700 900148 → [PHONE] |
| Origin | NRP | nationality cue → [ORIGIN] |
| Location | LOCATION | Leeds LS1 4DY → [ADDRESS] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | graduation 2009 → [DATE] |
Compliance achieved
- Supports blind sifting under the Equality Act 2010.
- Hides protected characteristics so the panel scores skill, not identity.
- Working copies stay safe with AES-256-GCM at rest.
- Covers 340+ PII types across 48 languages, well past name and photo.
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Limitations & cautions
Bias can leak through a hobby, a club, or a rare award even with the name gone. The app marks listed items; read free-text lines for indirect cues yourself before review.
Frequently asked questions
Can I re-link a shortlisted person after a blind sift?
Yes. Keep the alias map ON during review. Once scoring is done, the map restores the real identity so you can extend an offer.
Does the file ever leave my machine?
No. The desktop app runs locally with no cloud step. Nothing is uploaded, so the submission stays on your device.
Will skills and titles survive the pass?
Yes. Only personal and origin cues are marked. Job titles, skills, and tenure stay so reviewers can judge merit.