Redact your document before you upload it to AI
HILO replaces the personal data in your documents with codes and gets them ready to work with AI. A simple step that protects the privacy of your data before you analyze your files with ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or any tool you like.
Your document is not passed to any AI: it does not leave your computer and is not uploaded or stored. The name detector runs inside your browser. You can check it: after the first document, disconnect from the internet and it keeps working.
Options
Document language:
Citations of published works (“(Smith, 2019)” and the reference list) stay as they are. Turn it off for a blind review.
An italic paragraph, in the document’s language, that explains to the AI what the codes in brackets are and asks it not to try to guess the data.
Do you already have a HILO lookup table (from a dataset or another document)? Load it and the same people and data keep their codes.
First time using the anonymizer? To process your document without it leaving your phone, HILO has to download, only once, the dictionaries and files it needs (about 140 MB). We recommend using Wi-Fi. On a phone, the process may take longer than on a computer.
Do not close this tab.
People
ID numbers, phone numbers, and emails
Uncheck what you do not want to replace. The names you see here do not leave your computer.
To review
If you do not review them, they are covered anyway. Review them so you do not cover words that are not data.
Before downloading, look at this
These words were left in the anonymized document and could be people or data. Replace the ones that are.
Word, PDF, PowerPoint, and datasets
Word
Also Google Docs, LibreOffice (.odt), and the old .doc. The formatting is kept.
It comes out as a Word file you can edit.
PowerPoint
Also Google Slides. Including speaker notes and charts.
Datasets
Excel and CSV: the same codes across all files.
Documents worth anonymizing before using AI
What you upload to an AI is no longer only on your computer
A document you give to an AI travels to another company’s servers and puts your privacy at risk. If it contains your own data or other people’s, it is best to remove it first.
Three steps, without leaving this page
1. Choose your document
Drag it into the box above. It is read in your browser: it is not uploaded anywhere.
2. Review what it found
HILO shows you the people and data it found, each with its code. Uncheck what you do not want to cover and settle the doubtful ones with one click.
3. Download it and use it with AI
You get the document with codes such as [Person 1] or [ID 2], the lookup table (private, kept apart), and a certificate of what was done.
The data that identify a person
Instead of blacking out, blocking out, or censoring them by hand, HILO finds them automatically and replaces them with codes:
- First and last names, also in headers, footers, notes, comments, and tables.
- Identity documents: DNI, CUIL, CPF, RUT, passport, and others.
- Phone numbers and email addresses.
- Street addresses and license plates.
The same person has the same code throughout the document, so the text still makes sense. Text inside a photo or screenshot is not read: HILO warns you if there are any. A last look before sharing is always a good idea.
Plans
Start free. When you want more, subscribe or buy hilos on their own.
- Keyword search, coding, and annotating, with no limit
- Unlimited downloads of the edited document
- Error diagnostics and tools for datasets
- Topic and code summaries
- Kappa calculator
- AI features (concept maps, assisted coding, checklist, logic model, variable operationalization), with your hilos
- Anonymize documents: 1 without an account, 5 per week with your account (ES · EN · PT)
- 325 hilos per week for AI features (renewed every Monday at 00:00 UTC)
- Change tracking (redline)
- Change history and traceability
- Anonymize documents: 50 per week (ES · EN · PT)
Payment is processed by Paddle. HILO doesn't see or store your card details.
The week renews on Monday. Each anonymized document you download counts once per file.
No. It is read, analyzed, and written in your browser. You can check it: after the first document, disconnect from the internet and anonymize another one.
Word (.docx and .doc), PowerPoint (.pptx), LibreOffice (.odt), PDF with text, and .txt. For Excel or CSV spreadsheets there is the dataset tool.
Not quite. With the lookup table you can go back to the original, so technically it is pseudonymization. The table stays only on your computer; the document you share does not include it.
It finds the vast majority of names and data, and shows you the doubtful cases so you can decide. A last look before sharing is still a good idea, especially with unusual names or with photos.
Without an account you can anonymize 1 document. With a free account, 5 per week; with Premium, 50 per week.