Module 04 — Metadata Minimisation
🔎 1. Understanding Metadata
Metadata is “data about data” — the who, when, where and how often of your activity. Even when content is encrypted, metadata is usually still visible to someone along the path.
| Channel | Content | Metadata |
|---|---|---|
| Messaging | What you typed. | Who, when, how often, from which device/IP. |
| Web | Page contents. | Sites visited, timestamps, request sizes, user agent. |
| Phone | Call audio. | Caller/receiver, duration, cell towers, SIM. |
🧠 2. Metadata Awareness in Daily Life
- Message bursts can imply relationships and urgency.
- Repeated logins from a location can build a picture of where you live or work.
- Using the same device and account across roles ties those roles together, even if the content is “harmless” in each context.
🧼 3. Account & Session Hygiene
- Use separate accounts for clearly different identities or roles.
- Avoid logging into personal accounts from Shadow or Ghost environments unless there is a very clear reason.
- Restart devices between roles to clear temporary state and reduce cross-linking.
- Periodically review where you are logged in and revoke old sessions.
📊 4. Traffic Shape & Noise
You cannot realistically hide all metadata, but you can avoid being an outlier. Consistency is your friend.
- Avoid sudden, unusual spikes in activity that do not match your normal pattern for that device or role.
- Prefer steady, predictable use over long periods rather than big, attention-grabbing bursts.
- Some advanced tools add “padding” traffic; these can help, but only when used correctly and lawfully.
✅ 5. Practical Checklist
- List your main roles (personal, work, project, etc.).
- Ensure each has clearly separated accounts and devices/profiles.
- Decide which roles belong on Shield, which on Shadow, and which — if any — justify Ghost.