By Tim Redmond
The Arizona Supreme Court has just ruled that metadata — that is, internal electronic coding embedded in word-processing documents — is a matter of public record.
That’s a major ruling: It’s the first time a court has said that government agencies have to produce the metadata in their records — something public-records activists have been pushing for several years now.
The ruling doesn’t directly apply in California, but it could have an impact in San Francisco, where sunshine advocates have been fighting for access to metadata. Too early to know if the city attorney will now accept the AZ precedent, but Kimo Crossman and the Sunshine Posse will be pushing the issue.