Sanitization (classified information)

Under darkness refers to the subsequent obliteration of text passages by coloring with black ink or printing ink. The method is applied either to withhold some of the information of posterity, or - especially if it is blackened Reproductions - to hide this information from certain unauthorized persons.

Implementation

Since it is in the darkness in the first place for an a posteriori measure of printed matter or other documents that can not be handled automatically (eg ready -bound books ), it is usually done manually. The aim is that the blackened passages can not be revealed even with fluoroscopy or chemical treatment. Whether the action is actually performed irreversible, however, depends on the intention and scope of a possible detection. For books however, (see below ) had to be blacked out before delivery due Injunctive orders partially, but may be sufficient to use a felt-tipped pen, because the hidden text about by studying the court documents or reporting newspaper articles or from previously unblackened copies sold could be researched anyway.

Censorship

In countries with censorship system-critical and other unwanted information are partially obscured by darkness.

But even in democratic states is censored by darkness, such as fonts that are created in prisons of prisoners and edited before publication by officers and checked. In addition to obviously not tolerable clues that might be useful for example in attempts to escape, even more harmless words from the capture jargon like " quail " are blackened for sergeant occasionally.

The darkness is occasionally used as a ( satirical ) Style means if you want to boldly pointed to the threat of censorship. So the Donaukurier once appeared with completely blackened front page, to indicate the perceived limitations of fundamental rights and freedom of the press.

Stasi files

At the blackening of the Stasi files highest demands are placed so that only copies will be edited by blackened copies. With the insight of files in the Stasi files - authority, the rights must be protected from non- offenders after the Stasi Records Act. To this end, copies are made of the original documents, where appropriate, in which relevant passages are blackened.

Injunctions

If the distribution of printed works, in particular books, prohibited by an injunction because personality rights would be violated by, the respective publisher decides sometimes for economic reasons, to drive away the darkness of the indexed works with subsequent passages. So had to 2008, for example in the Romy Schneider novel by Olaf Kraemer " end of night " 152 words are blackened.

Literature from the period of National Socialism

For books from the period of National Socialism, which were sold after 1945, critical passages have been redacted. Thus, the following text was in the copies of the present lexicon of Rudolf Sängewald in the introduction ( see figure ) blackened " the superiority of arms and related to ."