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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

The Hall of Fame

February 2020 by PDF Association staff
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The Hall of Fame is a permanent tribute on to the generous contributions of our events’ top-tier sponsors. These companies make PDF Days and similar events possible.

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February 2020 by Duff Johnson
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When people talk to me about PDF technology they are generally pretty happy about it. End users feel that they … Read more

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January 2020 by PDF Association staff
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The agenda of the PDF Days Europe 2020 shows “All dimensions of PDF”.

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January 2020 by Duff Johnson
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“I’m sorry, Derek, but, now that Kelsey has learned how to convert JPEGs into PDFs, we can’t justify keeping you … Read more

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January 2020 by PDF Association staff
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Visiting the No. 1 PDF event – the PDF Days Europe 2020 – in Berlin? Great! Here are some hotel … Read more

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December 2019 by PDF Association staff
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Are you a PDF end user with a message for the PDF community? Are you a PDF technology innovator with … Read more

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December 2019 by PDF Association staff
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The PDF Association’s case study and white paper archives are filled with stories and use cases to help users understand … Read more

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December 2019 by PDF Association staff
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We’re busy preparing for PDF Days Europe 2020 coming next April, but it’s already time to reward those who plan ahead! … Read more

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December 2019 by PDF Association staff
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UKAAF’s liaison with the PDF Association will help ensure that PDF technology continues to promote and improve easy readability and … Read more

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December 2019 by Thomas Zellmann
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Thomas Zellmann discusses the benefits of OCR and of making PDFs fully searchable, especially as input for AI systems.

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November 2019 by Klaas Posselt
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The PDF/UA Technical Working Group released Tagged PDF Best Practice Guide: Syntax – to provide developers and expert users with … Read more

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