Document security guide
Cleaning document metadata before submission
Every file carries more than meets the eye: the author's name, the organization, the edit history, the creation time, and for photos also GPS and the device model. In tenders and correspondence this is an unnecessary vulnerability.
What is hidden in a file
A Word document stores the author, the company, the time spent editing and traces of changes. A PDF carries application and author data. A photo holds the shooting coordinates, camera model and time. All of it travels with the file.
Why it is risky in tenders
Metadata can show who actually prepared a bid, when, and from which template. Sometimes it exposes links between supposedly independent bidders, or that a document was made from someone else's file.
Why "save as" does not help
Simply re-saving or converting a file often carries metadata over into the new file, and sometimes adds its own. You need targeted cleaning that removes the hidden fields, not just the visible text.
Cleaning before you send
The rule is simple: any file that leaves your organization should first be stripped of metadata. It helps when documents and photos are handled in one step, and the result is a file with the same content but no hidden trail.
Remove the hidden trail from your files
PerSeek cleans metadata from documents and photos before you send them, preserving the content and removing the hidden fields.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked questions about metadata
Which files carry metadata?
Almost all of them: Word documents and PDFs, spreadsheets, presentations, and especially photos, which contain coordinates and device data.
Does the content change after cleaning?
No. Hidden service fields are removed, while the visible content, text and images, stays unchanged.
Is it enough to just convert the file?
Not always. Conversion can carry metadata over or even add some. Targeted cleaning of hidden fields is more reliable.