
Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs) pose their own set of challenges for compliance teams. They’re not like FOIA requests, which are mostly about public transparency. DSARs are about a person’s right to see their own information under laws like the GDPR or the UK Data Protection Act.
That means organisations have to track down any footage that shows the person who made the request, and then carefully review it to make sure no one else’s personal data is exposed in the process.
The technical complexity multiplies quickly. A retail DSAR might involve security cameras from twelve locations. A healthcare request could span patient consultations, therapy sessions, and facility surveillance.
A transport authority might need to search weeks of platform footage for brief appearances. Manual review becomes impossible at scale.
Effective DSAR processing requires software that can identify specific individuals across hours of footage, redact third parties automatically, handle audio PII with the same rigour as visual content, and document every decision for regulatory scrutiny.
Below are 6 privacy-focused platforms designed specifically for DSAR video compliance in 2026.
Comparison Table: Leading Privacy Software for Handling DSAR Requests With Video (2026)
|
Rank |
Software |
Video Formats Supported |
Key Features |
Best For |
|
1 |
Secure Redact (Pimloc) |
CCTV, body-cam, dash-cam, MP4/MOV/AVI, audio |
AI video & audio redaction, speech-to-text PII detection, batch DSAR workflows, API, audit trails |
Organizations needing full media-type privacy compliance |
|
2 |
Brighter AI |
Video & images (streams, CCTV, dash-cam) |
Face, license-plate & full-body anonymization, generative anonymization, privacy-first design |
Smart city, surveillance, and public-data privacy use |
|
3 |
CaseGuard |
Video, audio, images, documents |
AI face/plate/screen redaction, bulk processing, multi-media support |
Agencies dealing with mixed media DSARs |
|
4 |
Sighthound Redactor |
Video, audio, images |
Automatic detection (heads, people, vehicles, plates, IDs, screens), offline deployment |
Organizations requiring air-gapped DSAR processing |
|
5 |
Reduct (Reduct.Video) |
Video, audio, recordings, screen-captures |
Text-based video/audio redaction, secure blur, transcript-based editing |
Legal, research, and organizations needing precise audio-visual redaction |
|
6 |
Blurit |
CCTV, body-cam, surveillance video & images |
Automatic anonymization (faces, license plates), scalable redaction, on-prem or cloud deployment |
Public agencies, security firms, organizations needing privacy-first video release |
1. Secure Redact (by Pimloc)
Across Europe, teams that handle DSARs often turn to Secure Redact when their requests involve video, as well as other file types. Instead of juggling multiple tools, they can run surveillance footage, audio clips, images, and even documents through a single workflow designed with GDPR Article 15 requirements in mind.
What the platform offers
- It can spot faces, number plates, screens, text, and documents, and then apply permanent masking so the information can’t be restored later.
- Spoken details don’t slip through either. The tool automatically generates transcripts and can mute or redact names, addresses, dates, and similar identifiers in the audio.
- Large DSAR batches are easier to manage because they can process different file types simultaneously.
- Organisations can choose how they want it deployed: SaaS, a private cloud, their own servers, or via an API.
- Every action is logged, giving a full audit trail and chain‑of‑custody record for compliance checks.
- It works with common formats and sources, including CCTV footage, body‑cams, dash‑cams, and standard video and audio formats such as MP4, MOV, AVI, and others.
Why Choose Secure Redact
The platform excels when DSARs involve mixed media. A housing association might receive a request covering CCTV footage, audio recordings of phone calls, and written correspondence. Secure Redact processes all three through one interface, applying consistent privacy protection while maintaining separate audit trails for each media type.
Processing speed matters for GDPR's one-month response deadline. Organizations report reducing multi-day redaction work to hours. One infrastructure client processed over 1 million images when updating their DSAR procedures. The AI accuracy minimizes manual review time while still allowing human oversight for complex edge cases.
Best For
UK public authorities managing CCTV programs, NHS trusts handling patient video, housing associations with extensive surveillance systems, insurers processing claim-related footage, and any UK or EU organization managing video plus audio plus document DSARs under GDPR.
Visit Secure Redact
2. Brighter AI
Brighter AI takes a fundamentally different approach to privacy compliance. Rather than simply blurring faces, their Deep Natural Anonymization technology generates synthetic replacements that preserve video utility for analytics while making re-identification mathematically impossible.
Key Features
- Face, license plate, and full-body anonymization using blur or synthetic overlays
- Generative "Deep Natural Anonymization" (DNAT) replaces real identities with anonymized proxies (non-reversible)
- Deployment flexibility across cloud, private cloud, or edge computing
- GDPR-compliant design suitable for public release of anonymized video
- Preserves demographic characteristics and data utility for analytics while ensuring privacy
Why Choose Them
Organizations choosing Brighter AI typically need to release video publicly after DSAR processing or want to use footage for analytics while protecting privacy. The synthetic anonymization approach works particularly well for smart city implementations, where video feeds valuable operational data but must comply with strict GDPR requirements.
The technology maintains video usefulness in ways traditional blurring cannot. Traffic analysis still works because vehicle movements remain visible. Crowd density monitoring continues functioning because body positions stay detectable. The privacy protection becomes permanent because the synthetic overlays cannot be reversed.
Best For
UK smart-city projects, European transportation agencies, surveillance data controllers under GDPR, research organizations needing privacy-compliant video datasets, and organizations requiring both DSAR compliance and video analytics capabilities.
Visit Brighter AI
3. CaseGuard
CaseGuard addresses DSAR complexity through comprehensive media support and unlimited processing capability. Organizations pay per license, not per file or per minute, making budget forecasting straightforward even when DSAR volumes fluctuate.
Key Features
- Automated redaction of faces, license plates, screens, notepads, and sensitive objects in video
- Audio redaction with transcription and translation features for spoken PII
- Bulk-redaction across unlimited files
- Supports video, audio, documents, and images in one platform
- Export tools configured for DSAR disclosure and compliance workflows
- Fully offline operation for data sovereignty requirements
Why Choose Them
The unlimited processing model suits organizations with unpredictable DSAR volumes. A quiet month might bring three requests. A data breach or public incident could trigger hundreds. CaseGuard's pricing remains constant regardless of volume spikes.
The multi-media integration also reduces complexity. DSAR responses frequently combine CCTV footage, recorded phone calls, email attachments, and scanned documents. Processing everything through one platform with consistent redaction standards simplifies compliance and reduces the learning curve for staff.
Best For
UK police forces managing video DSARs, legal departments handling discovery, NHS bodies with patient video, corporations facing potential litigation, and organizations requiring strict data sovereignty controls.
Visit CaseGuard
4. Sighthound Redactor
Data protection regulations in certain sectors prohibit cloud processing of personal data. Sighthound Redactor operates entirely on-premises, with AI models running locally and processing completing without internet connectivity.
Key Features
- Automatic detection and redaction of heads, people, vehicles, license plates, IDs, screens, and documents
- Audio transcription in 8+ languages with keyword-based redaction
- Multiple redaction styles including blur, pixelate, mosaic, and fill
- Batch processing for high-volume DSAR workflows
- Desktop, client-server, or embedded deployment options
- Complete offline operation in air-gapped or restricted environments
Why Choose Them
Organizations operating under strict data sovereignty requirements choose Sighthound for its local processing architecture. The software never sends footage to external servers, API calls, or cloud services. Everything stays within your controlled environment from upload through final export.
This proves essential for healthcare organizations under GDPR Article 9 restrictions on special category data, financial institutions with customer privacy obligations, or any organization where data localization requirements prohibit cloud processing.
Best For
Healthcare providers with patient video under Article 9, financial institutions with strict privacy policies, organizations in jurisdictions requiring data localization, and entities where "on-premise only" appears in privacy impact assessments.
Visit Sighthound Redactor
5. Reduct (Reduct.Video)
DSAR requests involving extensive spoken content create unique challenges. Therapy session recordings, consultation videos, and interview footage require precise audio redaction that traditional timeline editing makes tedious and error-prone.
Key Features
- Text-based video editing where you transcribe first, then redact by selecting text
- Secure blur for visual redaction (faces, on-screen data) when needed
- Supports many video and audio formats through a cloud-based, browser-accessible platform
- Collaborative review tools for teams handling DSAR compliance
- Multi-language transcription support
Why Choose Them
Reduct takes a very different approach to audio redaction. Instead of dragging your way through an audio timeline and hoping you catch every personal detail, Reduct flips the process. It turns the whole recording into text first. Once you have the transcript, you can look up a name, an address, or any other sensitive info and clear it wherever it appears.
This approach is a lifesaver for healthcare DSARs. Things like therapy sessions or consultation recordings, where people casually mention personal details that pop up throughout long conversations.
It also helps when more than one team needs to weigh in. Legal might flag parts that need attention, privacy teams can sign off on the changes, and compliance can do their final review. Everyone works in the same space, so you don’t have to shuttle files back and forth.
Best For
Healthcare providers with patient recordings, therapy practices with session audio, legal teams handling depositions, research groups working with interviews—basically any organisation where the spoken word contains most of the PII that must be removed.
Visit Reduct
6. Blurit
Blurit focuses on quick, accurate video anonymization without making users learn complicated tools. It offers a good mix of automation and manual control, so teams can handle everyday DSAR requests and still deal with odd edge cases when they pop up.
Key Features
- Detects and blurs faces, plates, and other identifiable objects automatically
- Can process large batches at once, with room for manual fixes
- Works in the cloud or on‑premise, depending on what the organisation prefers
- Handles heavy DSAR workloads quickly
- Supports common video and image formats
Why Choose Them
Blurit tends to be the pick for organisations relying mainly on CCTV or security‑camera footage, where the goal is straightforward anonymization without a complicated setup. It delivers solid results without requiring a dedicated IT department or heavyweight infrastructure.
For teams with stricter data‑sovereignty rules, the on‑premise option offers control while keeping the interface simple and approachable. It’s a practical fit for mid‑sized organisations that need GDPR‑level compliance but don’t want enterprise‑scale complexity.
Best For
Housing providers managing building CCTV, retail organizations with store surveillance, educational institutions with campus security footage, property management firms, and mid-sized organizations requiring accessible DSAR video compliance.
Visit Blurit
What to Look For in DSAR Video Privacy Software
Choosing the right DSAR video‑redaction tool means looking at a few practical and legal basics.
- The software has to reliably spot faces, license plates, computer screens, and anything else that could be used to identify someone.
- Otherwise, teams end up redacting everything by hand. Audio matters just as much: names and addresses spoken on camera need the same protection as anything visible, and many teams only realise this when they’re hit with their first audio‑heavy request.
- The redaction also needs to be permanent. If the blurred or masked areas can be reversed, it fails GDPR’s privacy‑by‑design standard and puts the organisation at risk. DSARs also rarely involve only video, so tools that handle audio, photos, and documents in a single workflow save a lot of time.
- Scalability is another factor. Some requests involve hours of footage, or several DSARs at once, and the process shouldn’t grind to a halt because the software can’t keep up. Clear audit logs matter too; regulators expect proof of what was redacted, who did it, and why.
- Finally, deployment options matter. Cloud tools offer speed and convenience, while on‑premise systems appeal to organisations with strict data‑sovereignty needs. The right choice depends on your internal policies and risk tolerance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can DSAR video redaction include audio?
Yes, the best part is that you can manage the sound too, alongside blurring out faces. For instance, someone is saying something confidential or private in the bg. That’s where the software is put to use. It covers the individual or covers the backdrop to retain confidentiality.
Is automated blurring okay under GDPR?
Generally, yes. However, there is a small issue. If you blur or cover something, you cannot undo that later. Meanwhile, the company must still keep track of the changes you are making to the file. If you can address these fundamentals, your AI redactions will easily pass.
How long does it take to process an hour of CCTV?
If you are doing it manually, the process can be time-consuming. It might also take a few hours. However, automation can help you complete the task in no time at all. However, the actuall time taken depends on the ideo hat you are currently dealing with.
Can I mix footage from different cameras?
You can easily blend footage from various input devices. For example, you can combine body cam, CCTV, and dash cam shots. But how is that possible? When you DSAR covers many locations at once, it can be done easily.
Do we still need someone to review the output?
Experts say it is always better to have a final human check. But why is it necessary? AI can always miss details. However, the human eye can easily detect those gaps. If the footage covers sensitive details, human review is better than AI intervention.
Is on‑premise deployment necessary for sensitive files?
This is not always the case. In simpler terms, medical, financial ans similar agencies prefer it in-house. They have specialised data to handle. However, others do it through secure cloud platforms.
How do these tools support GDPR compliance?
Prominent businesses adopt unique measures such as scanning audit logs, implementing access controls, and permanently blurring sections. If you follow these aspects clinically, you are already in compliance with all GDPR requirements.
What if we accidentally release footage that still shows someone?
This is an acute example of a data breach. In some instances, you must report it to the relevant regulatory body. The reporting time span is 72 hours.
Disclaimer: This post was provided by a guest contributor. Coherent Market Insights does not endorse any products or services mentioned unless explicitly stated.
