Quilotoa@lemmy.ca to World News@lemmy.worldEnglish · 2 months agoHow internet sleuths are un-redacting some of the Epstein fileswww.cbc.caexternal-linkmessage-square9fedilinkarrow-up1158arrow-down10cross-posted to: news@lemmy.world
arrow-up1158arrow-down1external-linkHow internet sleuths are un-redacting some of the Epstein fileswww.cbc.caQuilotoa@lemmy.ca to World News@lemmy.worldEnglish · 2 months agomessage-square9fedilinkcross-posted to: news@lemmy.world
minus-squareExtremeDullard@piefed.sociallinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up75arrow-down1·edit-22 months agoThis has been known for years (decades?): setting black text against a black background in a PDF doesn’t eliminate the text in the PDF. Duh… The only reason why this is still an idiotic mistake made by public officials is because public officials are idiots.
minus-squaretal@lemmy.todaylinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up12·2 months agoEven if the text is removed, if the font is a proportional one, the very exact dimensions of any removed text plus knowledge of stuff like kerning can reveal the text.
This has been known for years (decades?): setting black text against a black background in a PDF doesn’t eliminate the text in the PDF. Duh…
The only reason why this is still an idiotic mistake made by public officials is because public officials are idiots.
Even if the text is removed, if the font is a proportional one, the very exact dimensions of any removed text plus knowledge of stuff like kerning can reveal the text.