Page 8 - TIPJar Summer 2017

While not yet addressed what metadata is, how level, metadata may Q: Where is metadata
by California law or to control the creation be such information found?
mentioned in City of San and maintenance of as original file name,
Jose, Washington is also metadata and how to modified date, accessed A: This is a bit of a loaded
one of the few states respond to requests for date, created date, question. If metadata is
in the nation with case it. file size, file extension embedded within a file,
law establishing that and original file path. it can be extracted with
metadata is a disclosable To explain metadata Additional metadata processing. However,
public record. In O’Neill within the context of an may exist based on the if you are seeking
v. City of Shoreline (2010) employee or employer specific application and metadata at a file
240 P.3d 1149, the search of personal version of the software system level, metadata
Washington Supreme electronic devices or used. For example, is extracted differently
Court found that accounts, we consulted for Microsoft Word, based on the operating
metadata associated Digital Mountain, a there may be metadata system. For example,
with an email was leading global provider for comments, date if you are seeking a
subject to disclosure of electronic discovery, created, primary author, creation date within a
after a public records computer forensics, last saved by, revision file, that would tell you
act request was made in cyber security and next- number, source, last when a document was
order to determine its generation Web-based saved date, last print created versus if you
original sender. In that solutions. In response date, pages, words, obtain the creation date
case, the city’s failure to to our questions, Digital characters (without at a file system level, the
respond to the court’s Mountain’s founder spaces), characters creation date is typically
satisfaction proved and CEO, Julie Lewis, (with spaces), lines, when the file was first
costly. After deciding provided the following paragraphs, total editing placed on a hard drive.
against the city, the information. minutes and company.
Court ordered the city If you are dealing with For email, metadata is
to pay over $500,000 in Q: What is metadata picture files, there embedded within the
fees to the plaintiff. and what types of is something called email message. For
information does it exchangeable image file security logs in the cyber
As California law provide? format (EXIF) metadata security realm, the data
continues to evolve, it which has the source is typically in a database.
is foreseeable that the A: Metadata is simply camera make and model, For a wearable device
Public Records Act may data about data. For date, time, geolocation (like a Fitbit or smart
be interpreted to include email, metadata may if recorded and a lot of watch), it could be on
metadata associated be information such as metadata that may be the device or stored
with personal electronic sender, mail size, subject, noise (irrelevant data). centrally in a database in
devices or accounts sent date, sent time, As you can see, with any the cloud.
used by officers and received date, received request for metadata it’s
employees of public time, to, cc, bcc, message important that metadata If you compare metadata
agencies. Consequently, ID, mail internet being sought is properly to a human being, there
it is in the best interest headers, sensitivity defined or there can may be data stored
of public agencies to and importance. For be a lot of extraneous about you externally
better understand files at a file system information. (e.g., Social Security

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