The recent document leak has caused many people to wonder about the privacy of information that is shared online. It is important to understand what information is shared when a file is uploaded to the internet, and how this may affect your online reputation.
As hackers make the news on a nearly daily basis, most are aware that there are dangers associated with sharing files on the internet. However, fewer people are aware that they may be unintentionally sharing more than intended with anyone that has access to the file. This is often the case with documents that contain metadata.
This is the data about a file that is not explicitly written into the file, but can be found through an application or software program that analyzes the contents of the file. Metadata can provide information about who was responsible for creating or editing the file, what software program was used to create it, and more. This information is sometimes used to track users on the internet and can also be utilized by marketers to fine tune their content and SEO based strategies.
The alleged 21-year-old Air National Guardsman charged in the case, Jack Teixeira, is accused of having posted what US officials say were classified documents to a private Discord server. The images of what were reportedly intelligence briefings included slides that discussed how the US eavesdrops on allies and adversaries, as well as blunt assessments of Ukraine and other international issues. The documents, which have been reviewed by CNN, also included a number of marked Top Secret documents.