Skill: secure-source-communication
Time: ~10 minutes

Goal

Remove EXIF, editor history, and embedded paths from files you forward or publish.

Steps

1. Never forward original phone photos of sensitive scenes — make a stripped copy first.
2. On macOS, use Export without metadata in Preview or ImageOptim-style tools per org policy.
3. For PDFs, use Print to PDF from a clean viewer or a dedicated metadata scrubber (verify text layer remains if needed).
4. For Office docs, copy text into a new document or use “Remove personal information.”
5. Hash the stripped file; store separately from the legal original if counsel requires retention.
6. Confirm GPS and device serial fields are gone in a metadata inspector.

Pitfalls

• Screenshot of a map still leaks location if the map is centered on a home.
• Redaction failures — black boxes over text must be true redaction, not just drawn shapes.

Next steps

• Methodology — Source Protection in methodologies/