PDF Redaction vs Flattening: What UK Courts Actually Require
Flattening hides; redaction destroys. Filing a 'redacted' PDF that was only flattened is a data breach. Here is the line, with the rules.
Summary
Flattening locks form fields and annotations but leaves the underlying text intact and recoverable. True redaction removes the content layer. The CPR rules and the test that proves which one you have.