Understanding Metadata

What is Metadata?

Metadata gives us information about data. This information can contain the following:

• When the data was created and modified
• The title and description
• Geolocation of where the data was created
• Who created the data, and who can access it
• What device or software was used to create the data
• Tag and categories

Document Data

Software will automatically add metadata to files when they are created and saved on a computer.

Microsoft Word will add the following by default:

• Program name
• Creation date
• Date last saved
• Authors
• Last saved by author
• The computer on which the file was saved

All other metadata can be added and removed through Microsoft Word, such as:

• Title
• Subject
• Tags
• Categories
• Comments
• Status
• Company

Some of the default metadata can also be removed through Microsoft Word or other tools.

Photo/Exif

Photos can contain a lot of personal information if Exif data is turned on. Exif stands for Exchangeable Image File Format and can contain the following metadata:

• Filename
• Device Make
• Device Model
• Geolocation
• Date and time the photo was created
• Lens
• Exposure
• Resolution

For a full list of tags, see the following link https://exiv2.org/tags.html

Devices can be set to turn off Exif data when taking photos - most modern smartphones have this feature.