Feedback: guides-entity_redaction

Documentation Feedback

Original URL: https://www.assemblyai.com/docs/guides/entity_redaction
Category: guides
Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:41:19 pm

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Claude Sonnet 4 Feedback

Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:41:18 pm

Technical Documentation Analysis: Entity Redaction Guide

Overall Assessment

This guide provides a functional walkthrough but has several areas for improvement in clarity, completeness, and user experience. Below is my detailed analysis with actionable recommendations.

🔴 Critical Issues

1. Inadequate Error Handling

Problem: No error handling examples or guidance Impact: Users will encounter failures without knowing how to resolve them Solution: Add comprehensive error handling section:

import assemblyai as aai
from assemblyai.exceptions import TranscriptionError

try:
    transcript = transcriber.transcribe(audio_url, config)
    if transcript.status == aai.TranscriptStatus.error:
        print(f"Transcription failed: {transcript.error}")
        return
except TranscriptionError as e:
    print(f"API Error: {e}")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Unexpected error: {e}")

2. Missing Performance Context

Problem: No mention of processing time, costs, or limitations Impact: Users can’t plan implementation properly Solution: Add section on:

• Typical processing times
• Cost implications of entity detection
• File size/duration limits
• Rate limiting considerations

🟡 Structure & Organization Issues

3. Confusing Flow Between Quickstart and Step-by-Step

Problem: Code is repeated without clear differentiation Recommendation:

• Make Quickstart a complete, minimal example
• Use Step-by-Step for detailed explanation with additional features
• Add clear transitions: “The quickstart above shows the basic flow. Let’s break this down step-by-step and explore additional options.”

4. Weak Introduction

Problem: Doesn’t clearly explain when to use this vs. built-in PII redaction Solution: Add comparison table:

Feature	Entity Detection Method	Built-in PII Redaction
Flexibility	High - custom entity selection	Limited - predefined PII types
Original text preservation	✅ Both versions available	❌ Original lost
Performance	Slower - post-processing required	Faster - handled during transcription
Use case	Custom redaction policies	Standard PII compliance

🟡 Missing Information

5. Incomplete Entity Type Documentation

Problem: Users don’t know what entity types are available Solution: Add comprehensive list with examples:

# Available entity types and examples
SUPPORTED_ENTITIES = {
    'person_name': 'John Smith, Mary Johnson',
    'location': 'New York, California, Main Street',
    'organization': 'Google, Microsoft, FBI',
    'phone_number': '555-123-4567, (555) 123-4567',
    'email_address': 'user@example.com',
    'date': 'January 1st, 2023-01-01',
    'nationality': 'American, Canadian',
    'event': 'World War II, Olympics',
    'language': 'English, Spanish',
    'occupation': 'doctor, engineer, teacher'
}

6. No Audio Requirements Section

Solution: Add section covering:

• Supported audio formats
• Quality requirements for accurate entity detection
• File size limits
• URL vs. local file handling

🟡 Code Quality Issues

7. Unsafe String Replacement Logic

Problem: replace() method can cause incorrect replacements Example: If transcript contains “John” and “Johnson”, replacing “John” first corrupts “Johnson”

Solution: Provide safer replacement method:

def safe_redact_entities(text, entities):
    """Safely redact entities by replacing from end to beginning"""
    # Sort entities by start position (descending) to avoid position shifts
    sorted_entities = sorted(entities, key=lambda x: x.start, reverse=True)

    redacted_text = text
    for entity in sorted_entities:
        start, end = entity.start, entity.end
        replacement = f"[{entity.entity_type.upper()}]"
        redacted_text = redacted_text[:start] + replacement + redacted_text[end:]

    return redacted_text

8. Hardcoded Values

Problem: API key and URLs are hardcoded Solution: Show environment variable usage:

import os
import assemblyai as aai

# Better: Use environment variables
aai.settings.api_key = os.getenv('ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY')
if not aai.settings.api_key:
    raise ValueError("Please set ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY environment variable")

🟡 User Experience Issues

9. Inadequate Examples

Problem: Only one audio file example, limited use cases Solution: Add multiple scenarios:

• Medical transcription redaction
• Legal document processing
• Customer service call redaction
• Different input methods (local files, streaming)

10. No Validation Guidance

Problem: Users can’t verify redaction worked correctly Solution: Add validation section:

def validate_redaction(original_entities, redacted_text):
    """Validate that all specified entities were redacted"""
    failed_redactions = []
    for entity in original_entities:
        if entity.text.lower() in redacted_text.lower():
            failed_redactions.append(entity)

    if failed_redactions:
        print(f"Warning: {len(failed_redactions)} entities not redacted")
        for entity in failed_redactions:
            print(f"  - {entity.text} ({entity.entity_type})")
    return len(failed_redactions) == 0

🟢 Positive Aspects

• Clear code formatting
• Good use of real audio example
• Practical filtering example
• Helpful disclaimer about local-only redaction

📋 Implementation Priority

High Priority:

1. Add error handling examples
2. Fix unsafe string replacement
3. Document available entity types
4. Add performance/cost context

Medium Priority: 5. Improve introduction with comparison table 6. Add validation methods 7. Show environment variable usage 8. Restructure quickstart vs. step-by-step

Low Priority: 9. Add multiple use case examples 10. Expand audio requirements section

This analysis should significantly improve the documentation’s clarity, safety, and user experience.

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