A project of the Integrity InstituteSafeguarding platforms from illicit activities often relies on the implicit threat of making it easier for authorities to unmask the user behind the activity. One simple step that platforms can take for that purpose is to extensively record (and consistently persist) metadata around sensitive transactions, like requests to transfer funds, or file uploads.
This can be effective because while certain data points, such as IP addresses, can be conveniently masked through VPNs, many others, like IMEI numbers, prove more challenging for the average user to conceal or spoof. Even seemingly insignificant and trivial to edit metadata (like browser agent) might be useless on its own, but collectively these individual points can form a mosaic that can often identify a person, and even more often can identify a pattern. Even the most advanced actors have a hard time maintaining perfect operational security. Retaining metadata from sensitive transactions keeps alive the possibility of identifying the pseudonymous actor, and the likelihood of being able to identify patterns of abuse after they've occurred.
This method is particularly valuable in scenarios like money laundering, where obfuscatory practices are employed to cloud transaction trails, and in the realm of CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material), where the meticulous extraction of metadata can often lead investigators to breakthroughs in otherwise inscrutable cases. The mere awareness that such a robust tracking mechanism is in place can act as a powerful deterrent for potential offenders.