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Computer Support For Individuals And Small Business |
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11/2/13 |
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What Is This Thing Called Metadata?? |
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The term "metadata" has been thrown around a great deal lately in regard to the NSA collection of enormous amounts of data regarding individuals, both U.S. citizens and otherwise. The government claims it is looking only at metadata regarding emails and phone calls. But what is this thing called "metadata?"
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The common definition of "metadata" is "data about data." But what does that mean? Does it only make sense to those who already understand it? |
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One way to explain "metadata" is through analogy. For instance, a library is full of books, magazines, etc. But how do you find a specific book? Before the days of computerized search programs, most libraries had a card catalog (remember those?). Here is an example: |
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Here is an example of an open card catalog drawer full of cards: |
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Each card contains information about a particular book or other publication. The following illustrates what a typical card looks like: |
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Note that the card contains information, about the book. It includes title, author, publisher, publication date, reference number, and other important descriptors. This is data about the publication, or, by analogy, data about the data (the book) - metadata! |
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Similarly each time you send an email, a great deal of data about the email, or metadata, is created in addition to the message. Some of it is visible in the email itself, such as the sender, recipient(s), date, etc. But much more is found behind the scenes. Below is an example of what a complete email, including meta data, looks like "under the hood" based on an actual email: |
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Notice the actual message, "Jake, how about lunch tomorrow?" is only one line encased in a sea of metadata. For most of us it is simply gobblety-gook. But in reality it reveals more than one might think at first glance. Some of it is visible in the email itself, such as the sender, recipient(s), date, etc. But much more is found behind the scenes. |
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For instance, the IP (internet protocol) address of the sender typically reveals the general location of the sender (actually the server to which he/she is connected, which usually is in the same geographic vicinity). The same is true when browsing the web. To see an example of how it works click here to see the IP address of the server you are connected to and approximate location. |
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It pays to be circumspect with what we commit to writing in an email or otherwise. But it is prudent to also keep in mind we are revealing much more than just the message itself when we send an email. |
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