Crane on Law by James Crane

So, metadata is the hidden data about a document. To see an example of metadata, open a Microsoft Word® document, click on the “File” menu, and choose “Properties.” A dialog box will open up, where you’ll find a variety of information such as when the document was created, last edited, and other little tidbits, like editorial comments and when and if it was printed. On an email, the metadata would include any recipients, even BCC, and information about the computers through which the message was routed. So, you can easily see the significance of metadata. The real questions arise when one ponders whether and when it should be considered as evidence, and how one should go about gauging the reliability of a system’s metadata.

More discussions to come.