Docleaner (PDF)

When you create PDF documents, various forms of metadata are generated in addition to the visible content. This metadata includes the authors’ names, file paths and the time of creation. This is also true of any embedded documents such as images and the like, which could contain their own metadata. Upon publication, all documents should be checked for sensitive and frequently personal data to avoid transferring them or making them available unintentionally. Users should check which metadata is included in their documents and, if necessary, clear them or reduce them to what is absolutely essential.

To support you in this process, TUD-CERT has set up the web service Docleaner. Users can upload their PDF documents to the service, which will then automatically clear them of potentially sensitive metadata. Once the document has been processed, you will receive a brief overview of the metadata present and removed as well as the option to then download the “clean” document.

Your uploaded documents will be retained for a short time on the server and then automatically erased.