What must be available to add a redaction to a document?

To add a redaction to a document, having an image copy available is essential. This is because redactions typically involve obscuring or blacking out sensitive information in a visual document, which is most effectively accomplished on an image-based copy. Image copies are often used in contexts where the visual presentation of the document is critical, such as PDFs or scanned documents.

In practice, the redaction process usually entails using software tools that manipulate the image file to ensure that sensitive information is permanently removed from view. This method offers a visible, user-friendly approach to displaying redacted documents while ensuring the integrity of the non-sensitive information remains intact.

Access to a text copy, a backup version, or an original copy may support various document handling tasks, but they do not provide the necessary format to apply redactions efficiently. Text copies may not show visual elements intended for redaction, and backup or original versions might complicate the manipulation and privacy of the document in question. Hence, an image copy is crucial to execute redactions adequately and securely.