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A case study in PDF forensics: The Epstein PDFs

This article details a PDF forensics case study on a small, random selection of the Epstein PDF files released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ). The tranche contains 4,085 PDF files, with an estimated 5,879 remaining unreleased. Key findings include:

  • A difference in PDF version reporting between forensic tools.
  • The presence of two incremental updates.
  • The discovery of a hidden (orphaned) document information dictionary revealing the software used in processing.
  • The DoJ avoided JPEG images to prevent metadata leakage.
  • Overall, the DoJ’s sanitization workflow could be improved to reduce file size and information leakage.
Peter Wyatt

By Peter Wyatt
December 2025

A case study in PDF forensics: The Epstein PDFs

This article details a PDF forensics case study on a small, random selection of the Epstein PDF files released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ). The tranche contains 4,085 PDF files, with an estimated 5,879 remaining unreleased. Key findings include:

  • A difference in PDF version reporting between forensic tools.
  • The presence of two incremental updates.
  • The discovery of a hidden (orphaned) document information dictionary revealing the software used in processing.
  • The DoJ avoided JPEG images to prevent metadata leakage.
  • Overall, the DoJ’s sanitization workflow could be improved to reduce file size and information leakage.
Peter Wyatt

By Peter Wyatt
December 2025

“Beyond Camelot: the PDF story” trailer released

June 2023 by PDF Association staff
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To celebrate the 30th anniversary of PDF technology the PDF Association has released a trailer for its forthcoming documentary.

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June 2023 by Patrick Gallot
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Patrick Gallot explains his personal financial support for a forthcoming documentary on the development of the PDF format.

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June 2023 by Duff Johnson
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The last 30 years have revealed some persistent truths about how people use and think about information and communication.

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May 2023 by PDF Association staff
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The documentary is scheduled for release in early 2024. There’s still time to become a supporter!

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May 2023 by Peter Wyatt
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This new corpus – nearly 8 million PDFs totaling about 8 TB – was gathered from across the web in … Read more

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May 2023 by Peter Wyatt
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A new PDF Association service will provide targeted test-cases to highlight interoperability issues resolved in the latest PDF specification.

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April 2023 by PDF Association staff
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PDF’s technical community will gather for its first-ever PDF Week during the first week of May in Paris. The conference … Read more

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April 2023 by PDF Association staff
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The PDF Association has volunteered to host a new Liaison Working Group (LWG) to bring together experts from both PDF/X … Read more

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April 2023 by Tony McKinley
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Author and longtime PDF evangelist Tony McKinley’s latest book, “PDF Expert”, shares his experience working directly with the world’s most … Read more

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April 2023 by PDF Association staff
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Now anyone can download the latest PDF specification, ISO 32000-2, at NO COST! What are you waiting for?

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March 2023 by PDF Association staff
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All remaining seats at PDF Week are reserved for ISO WG attendees and PDF Association members.

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