Striking a balance between transparency and protecting sensitive information is a challenging task for government entities. Hamilton County, Ohio, faced this very challenge when seeking to make court documents accessible online while safeguarding the privacy of its citizens. To achieve this goal, the county collaborated with Extract Systems and their existing Case Management System (CMS) provider, PROWARE, to implement ID Shield software—a cutting-edge redaction solution. This case study delves into the procurement process, implementation challenges, redaction methodology, and the successful outcomes achieved by Hamilton County.
Located in the southwestern corner of Ohio, Hamilton County is the third-most populous county in the state. With a population of over 830,000, it encompasses the bustling city of Cincinnati and is named after the renowned Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury.
The motivation behind implementing redaction measures came from Hamilton County's desire to make court documents available online. A prior incident involving the unintentional publication of unredacted records with sensitive information, such as Social Security Numbers, led to identity theft concerns. Consequently, the records were taken offline for more than a decade. To prevent such mishaps in the future, Hamilton County set out to find a reliable redaction solution.
In June 2021, Hamilton County engaged Extract Systems to implement their ID Shield redaction software. The process focused on two key departments: the Clerk of Court and Juvenile Court. However, the implementation faced some delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and because the Juvenile Court was still refining its redaction plan.
The system went live on September 1, 2022, and was tailored to redact specific sensitive fields, including Bank information, Credit Card Numbers (CCN), Driver's License Numbers (DLN), Social Security Numbers (SSN), Protected Party, Witness, and Victim details. It's important to note that redaction was only applied to selected document types on a day-forward basis, leaving previously submitted records untouched.
In Ohio, as in some other states, the responsibility for redacting court documents lies with the filer. However, Hamilton County recognized the presence of numerous documents containing sensitive information and hesitated to make such records available online. To address this, both the Clerk of Court's office and Juvenile Court embraced Extract's automated redaction software, ID Shield, in 2022.
During the implementation, it was discovered that slightly over 25% of incoming files still contained personally identifiable information (PII). In response, a hybrid workflow was devised. ID Shield automatically redacted certain documents, while others were forwarded to a verification queue where personnel manually reviewed proposed redactions.
“I believe strongly that as a public entity, we should make it as efficient as possible for the public to have access to these documents in our justice system. But we also have a duty to protect the privacy of vulnerable individuals in our community. Implementing Extract’s redaction software allowed us to strike a perfect balance between these responsibilities.””
As a testament to the software's effectiveness, Hamilton County decided to double their annual license from 1 million to 2 million pages per year in June 2023.
The quality of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) output is crucial to the success of any redaction process. Extract Systems' redaction software boasts a powerful OCR engine that utilizes machine learning to classify documents and identify data within complex unstructured files. This ensures accurate and reliable redaction of all sensitive data types.
Extract Systems' proprietary formula behind ID Shield incorporates pattern recognition logic, phrase context proximity, and keywords into the software to secure specific data. The redaction zones are securely burned into the documents, making it impossible for identity thieves to retrieve private information. Furthermore, all hidden metadata associated with the redacted text is eliminated, adding an extra layer of security.
Hamilton County, Ohio, successfully addressed the dual challenge of enhancing transparency and protecting sensitive information by implementing Extract Systems' ID Shield redaction software. By taking this step, the county not only made court documents easily accessible online but also demonstrated its commitment to safeguarding the privacy of its citizens. Through this collaboration with Extract Systems and PROWARE, Hamilton County exemplifies how innovative redaction solutions can be effectively integrated into existing systems to achieve secure and transparent public service delivery.
About the Author: Taylor Genter
Taylor is a Marketing Manager at Extract specializing in marketing strategy and planning. With a strong background in data analytics, graphic design, and digital and social media marketing, she brings a comprehensive skill set to her role. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater. Taylor enjoys analyzing people’s behaviors and attitudes to find out what motivates them, and then curating better ways to communicate with them.