diff --git a/doc/comparison_to_others.md b/doc/comparison_to_others.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8939009 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/comparison_to_others.md @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +# Exiftool + +mat2 is in fact using exiftool to extract metadata from files, +but not to remove them. The previous iteration of mat2, MAT, +was using exiftool to remove metadata, which lead to several cases where +they weren't correctly removed, if at all. +For example, [Exiftool's documentation](https://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/TagNames/PDF.html) +states the following with regard to PDF: + +> All metadata edits are reversible. While this would normally be considered an +advantage, it is a potential security problem because old information is never +actually deleted from the file. + +To remove metadata, mat2 usually re-render the file completely, eliminating +all possible original metadata. See the `implementation_notes.md` file for +details. + + +# jpegoptim, optipng, … + +While designed to reduce as much as possible the size of pictures, +those software can be used to remove metadata. They usually have very good +support for a single picture format, and can be used in place of mat2 for them. + + +# PDF Redact Tools + +[PDF Redact Tools](https://github.com/firstlookmedia/pdf-redact-tools) is +a software developed by the people from [First Look +Media](https://firstlook.media/), the entity behind, amongst other things, +[The Intercept](https://theintercept.com/). + +The tool uses roughly the same approach than mat2 to deal with PDF, +which is unfortunately the only fileformat that it does support. +It's interesting to note that it has counter-measures against +[yellow dots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_Identification_Code), +a capacity that mat2 [doesn't possess yet](https://0xacab.org/jvoisin/mat2/issues/43). + + +# Exiv2 + +[Exiv2](https://www.exiv2.org/) was considered for mat2, +but it currently [misses a lot of metadata](https://0xacab.org/jvoisin/mat2/issues/85) + + +# Others non open source software/online service + +There are a lot of closed-source software and online service claiming to remove +metadata from your files, but since there is no way to actually verify that +they're effectively removing them, let alone adding unique markers, they +shouldn't be used.