Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This page answers common questions about the Philterd Policy Editor.
Self-Hosting
Is the Philterd Redaction Policy Editor open source?
Yes. The source code is available at https://github.com/philterd/philterd-redaction-policy-editor.
Can I run Philterd Redaction Policy Editor on my own network?
Yes. The editor is a self-hosted application that can be run on your local network using Docker or by running the JAR file directly. Once running, it is accessible via the host's IP address on port 8080 (e.g., http://<host-ip>:8080). For more details, see the Installation section.
General Questions
What is the Philterd Redaction Policy Editor?
The Philterd Policy Editor is a web-based tool for creating and managing redaction policies for Philter and Phileas. It provides a user-friendly interface to configure PII filters, redaction strategies, and advanced document processing settings.
Are policies generated here compatible with both Philter and Phileas?
Yes. The JSON policies generated by this editor are compatible with both Philter (the API-based redaction service) and Phileas (the redaction library).
Is my data sent to any server while using the editor?
When accessing the tool via https://policies.philterd.ai/, data is sent from your computer to Philterd server to build the policy. Because of this, PII is not allowed.
When self-hosting, the tool is a self-contained application. When you click "Generate Policy," the request is processed by the local instance of the application. Data is not sent to any third-party server.
We recommend self-hosting the tool in an air-gapped (firewalled) environment for maximum security.
For questions please contact us.
Does the Philterd Redaction Policy Editor expose all policy capabilities?
No. There are several capabilities of policies that cannot be configured by the graphical editor. To configure these capabilities, you can directly modify the JSON policy that is created. Over time we hope to have all aspects of policies available through the graphical editor.
Policies and Filters
What is a "PII Filter"?
A PII Filter is a configuration for a specific type of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as "Email Address," "Social Security Number," or "Credit Card Number."
For more information any of the available PII filters, see the Phileas documentation.
Can I have multiple strategies for a single filter?
Yes. You can add multiple strategies to a single PII filter. This allows you to apply different redaction methods (e.g., MASK vs. REDACT) based on specific conditions.
What are "Conditions"?
Conditions allow you to apply a strategy only when certain criteria are met. For example, you might only want to redact an "Age" if the confidence of the detection is greater than 0.8 (confidence > 0.8).
How do I use the Dictionary filter?
The Dictionary filter allows you to redact specific terms. After generating or downloading the policy, you should replace the "ADD YOUR TERMS HERE" placeholder in the JSON with your actual list of terms.
Advanced Usage
What are Post Filters?
Post Filters are operations performed after redaction, such as removing trailing periods, extra spaces, or newlines that might remain after a term is removed from the text.
Can I edit an existing policy?
Yes. Use the Upload Policy button at the top of the page to load an existing JSON policy file. The editor will automatically populate the UI with the settings from that policy.
How do I use the generated policy?
Once you have generated a policy, you can:
1. Copy to Clipboard and paste it into your Philter/Phileas configuration.
2. Download it as a .json file and provide it to Philter via the API or Phileas via the filesystem.
Troubleshooting
Why is the "Add PII Filter" button disabled?
The button is disabled if you have already added all available PII filter types. Each PII type can only be added once to a policy (except for specialized filters like PhEye and Dictionary).
The generated JSON looks empty or incorrect.
Ensure you have added at least one PII filter and configured at least one strategy for it. Also, make sure the "Policy Name" is provided.
How do I redact custom PII types?
You can redact custom PII types using the Dictionary filter for specific lists of terms or the PhEye filter for ML-based detection of custom entities. For more complex needs, you can also use Philter's Custom Identifiers (not currently available in the graphical editor).
Can I use the editor offline?
Yes. Once you have downloaded the Docker image or the JAR file, the editor can be run in an air-gapped or offline environment. It does not require an internet connection to generate policies.
What is the difference between Philter and Phileas?
Philter is a standalone, API-based redaction service that you interact with over HTTP. Phileas is a Java library that you integrate directly into your own Java applications. Both use the same policy format generated by this editor.
Can I redact images or PDFs?
Yes, Philter and Phileas support PDF redaction. You can configure PDF-specific settings (like redaction color and DPI) in the Advanced Options section of the editor. Note that the editor itself does not perform the redaction; it generates the policy that tells Philter/Phileas how to redact those files.
Support
Is commercial support available?
Yes, commercial support is available from Philterd. Please contact us through our website for more information regarding support plans and services.