Scrub ‘n Share: Protecting your Business from the Dangers of Metadata

Did you know that when you edit content in a Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Corel WordPerfect or various other electronic documents, information about you and the edits you made is automatically created, stored and hidden within the document file? This hidden information is known as “metadata”, which, if not removed, can put companies at serious risk when sharing or submitting confidential documents, providing a “paper trail” that possibly anyone in possession of the digital file can access and follow.

What is metadata?
Metadata is commonly described as “data about data”—a hidden layer of information that is created and embedded within a document file. Microsoft reports that metadata aids in collaborating when writing and editing a document with other people but also warns that metadata can be passed on to inappropriate parties (i.e. opposing legal counsel) if not properly removed, possibly leading to lost clients, lawsuits and other undesirable consequences.

What are the different types of metadata?

Microsoft provides some examples of metadata that may be embedded in electronic document files, including:

• Your name and initials (and/or those of the document’s previous author(s))
• The name of your company
• The name of your computer
• The name of your network server or hard disk upon which the document is saved
• Any previously deleted or revised text
• Document versions
• Comments and tracked changes
• Template information
• Hidden text or cells
• Personalized views

The data above can often be beneficial to users of document management and precedent systems when searching for documents relevant to their work. However, when files are electronically shared, whether it be via email, disk, extranet, etc., the information, if seen by the wrong eyes, can be potentially damaging to both your organization and your clients.

How is metadata removed?
There are many tools available that can reduce or eliminate metadata from electronic documents. Microsoft provides instructions on its website on how to find and remove hidden data from documents created in Microsoft Office applications. There is also a wide-variety of metadata removal software programs that “scrub” metadata from various document types. Further information regarding the various tools available for metadata removal can be found in the articles referenced at the bottom of this post.

How do I help ensure metadata is being removed from my organization’s documents?
Although using software and other tools to remove metadata from documents are essential in protecting an organization’s confidential information, employee training is also important to ensure best practices in metadata removal are followed. Workshare, a document collaboration software provider, recommends that businesses establish a company-wide metadata policy to ensure employees have a clear understanding of the risks metadata poses to your organization and proper, standardized methods for its removal. 3D can assist in creating and implementing best practices technology policies like these for your business. To find out more, call our office at (360) 671-4906, send us an email at info@3dcorp.us, or visit our website at http://www.3dcorp.us/.

References:
“Remove hidden data and personal information from Office documents”, office.microsoft.com; “Meeting Regulatory Challenges: Metadata in Court Submissions: A Workshare Report”, Workshare, Inc.; “Beware the Dangers of Metadata”, Lawyers’ Professional Indemnity Company