Lex CloakRedaction labels
Choose what text appears on the black redaction boxes in the saved PDF, such as REDACTED, a FOIA exemption code like (b)(6) or (b)(7)(C), CONFIDENTIAL, or your own custom label. Set this in the Redaction label section of Settings.
What the label does
Each black box in the redacted PDF can carry a short label, printed in white in the middle of the box and sized to fit it. The label tells a reader why something was removed. It never changes what is removed: the same text is covered whichever label you pick, and it is taken out of the file the same way.
Lex Cloak starts with no label, a plain black box. The Label menu offers these choices:
| Menu choice | Printed on each box |
|---|---|
| None (plain black) | Nothing |
| REDACTED | REDACTED |
| [REDACTED] | [REDACTED] |
| (b)(6) FOIA personal privacy | (b)(6) |
| (b)(7)(C) FOIA law enforcement | (b)(7)(C) |
| (b)(4) FOIA trade secrets | (b)(4) |
| CONFIDENTIAL | CONFIDENTIAL |
| Custom... | The words you type |
What the FOIA codes mean
The three codes are exemption numbers from the federal Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552(b). When an agency releases a record with parts withheld, the Act calls for the exemption behind each deletion to be shown on the released record, at the place of the deletion where that is technically feasible. These labels print that exemption number on each box. In the words of the statute:
- (b)(4) covers “trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential”.
- (b)(6) covers “personnel and medical files and similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy”.
- (b)(7)(C) covers “records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes”, to the extent that releasing them “could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy”.
Which exemption applies to a record is your call. Lex Cloak prints the code you choose and does not check it against what the box covers.
Set the label
- Click the gear at the top of the sidebar to open Settings, and choose the Redaction tab.
- Pick a choice from the Label menu. For your own words, choose Custom... and type them into the box that appears.
- Download as usual. The label goes on the boxes in the file you save.
Lex Cloak remembers your choice for the next document. The label is added when you download, so you can change it and download again without scanning again, and Download All puts the same label on each file in the ZIP. Reset defaults in Settings puts it back to None.
Keep a custom label short. It is printed inside each box, and most boxes are only as large as the words they cover. A label too long for its box is printed smaller, and left off that box if it still does not fit.