The Mixed Office Problem
Most firms run more than one office suite. Legal teams use Word. Engineers on Linux use LibreOffice. Mergers bring teams with different software. Government work adds ODF and OOXML file formats.
This mix creates a PII risk. One tool finds a name in Word. A different tool misses it in Writer. Thresholds vary. Output formats differ.
That gap is a compliance risk. GDPR Article 32 requires "appropriate technical measures" for data protection. If two suites give two results on the same file, that is not consistently appropriate. The standard is not met.
One Engine, Two Suites
anonym.legal has extensions for both suites:
- Office Add-in — for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- LibreOffice Extension — for Writer, Calc, and Impress
Both connect to the same backend. They share:
- 285+ entity types
- Hybrid detection (regex + spaCy NLP)
- 48 languages
- 5 anonymization methods
- Confidence scoring (regex: 1.0, NLP: 0.85+)
Run the same text in Word or Writer. The result is identical.
Shared Presets Stop Drift
Configuration drift is a silent risk. It happens with no one noticing. Team A sets Word to detect 12 entity types with Replace. Team B sets LibreOffice to detect 8 types with Redact. Same file. Different output.
Preset sync in anonym.legal fixes this:
- Create a preset in any platform — web app, Desktop App, Office Add-in, or LibreOffice Extension
- The preset syncs to all platforms within 5 minutes
- Every user applies the same settings
A preset stores which entity types to detect, the method per type, confidence thresholds, and custom definitions.
Encryption Key Portability
Teams using the Encrypt method (AES-256-GCM) can reverse anonymization to restore the original text. For this to work, keys must be available on all platforms. A file encrypted in Word must be decryptable in the web app or LibreOffice Extension.
anonym.legal uses ZK-wrapped key sync:
- Keys are wrapped with XChaCha20-Poly1305 using a key derived from your password
- Wrapped keys sync to the server
- Your password never leaves your device
- A server breach cannot expose your keys
Law Firm Workflow: Mixed Suite, One Result
A mid-size law firm takes in files from many sources:
File types:
- Client contracts in Word (.docx)
- Court filings as PDF, turned to text
- Internal memos in LibreOffice Writer (.odt) from Linux desks
- Spreadsheets as Excel (.xlsx) and Calc (.ods)
How it works:
- Senior partner creates a "Client Matter" preset — replace names, mask dates, redact SSNs, encrypt emails
- Preset syncs to all platforms
- Associate A opens a Word file. Applies preset via Office Add-in.
- Associate B opens a Writer file. Applies the same preset via LibreOffice Extension.
- Paralegal runs the preset on a Calc file.
- All three use the same detection and output settings.
For a GDPR audit, the firm can show:
- One preset applied across all file types
- The same entity detection regardless of format
- The same output methods throughout
- Keys managed with zero-knowledge security
Enterprise Deployment
| Factor | Office Add-in | LibreOffice Extension |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Microsoft 365 admin center | .oxt file distribution |
| Updates | Auto-update via manifest | Manual .oxt replacement |
| User management | Azure AD integration | anonym.legal accounts |
| Platform | Windows, Mac, Web, iPad | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Licensing | Microsoft 365 required | Free (LibreOffice) |
For mixed environments, deploy both. Office Add-in goes on Microsoft 365 desks. LibreOffice Extension goes on Linux and open-source desks. Shared presets and keys keep the behavior consistent.
Regulatory Consistency
Regulators do not accept "we used different tools" as a reason for gaps in anonymization. If a DSAR response redacts a name in the Word file but misses it in the LibreOffice file, that is a gap. It is a compliance failure.
One detection engine across all file types removes this risk. The algorithm does not change based on the client app. It runs server-side the same way for every request. See the security and compliance page and legal conformance docs for details.
Get Started
- Download LibreOffice Extension — for Writer, Calc, Impress
- Install Office Add-in — for Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- Create a preset in the web app — it syncs to both platforms
One account. One preset. One result.
Sources
- GDPR Article 32 — appropriate technical measures for consistent data protection
- anonym.legal cross-device sync docs — preset and key portability (/docs/libreoffice)
- anonym.legal PII Detection Testing — 95.5% accuracy, identical across all platforms