Metadata
Data about data — including creation and modification times, authors, access logs, tags and schema information.
Full Definition
Metadata is the structured information that describes a data asset: when it was created and last modified, by whom, its schema and format, its classification tags, lineage back to its source, access logs, retention policy and consent / purpose binding. In a mature data programme, metadata is itself a managed asset — the data catalog stores and queries it, and governance decisions (who gets access, when it expires, whether it can be exported) are expressed as policies over metadata.
For privacy specifically, metadata about personal data is often itself personal data. An access log records which user viewed which record at what time — the log is personal data about the viewer. A consent receipt is metadata about a consent event — but the receipt is personal data about the subject. GDPR, DPDP and PDPA all apply to these metadata records; retention, access control and DSR obligations attach to them in the same way as to the underlying asset.
Related terms
Data Catalog
A centralised, searchable inventory of an organisation's data assets with metadata about location, schema, owner, classification and lineage.
Audit Trail
An append-only, time-stamped record of events that lets an auditor reconstruct what happened to personal data and who did it.
Data Flow
A documented path showing how personal data moves between systems, processors and jurisdictions over its lifecycle.
Relevant regulations
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