RE: electronic submission

[stevefjong -at- comcast -dot- net]

Dan Goldstein wrote:

> "Don't ever"? Well, Steve, sometimes an RFP *requires* a Word file, and 
> you should always send exactly what the RFP requires. 
> 
> When you get a chance, you might want to learn how to securely and 
> verifiably remove sensitive information from Word files. It can be done 
> -- and it's a relevant skill for some Federal RFPs. 

Well, if the RFP requires a Word file, you're stuck sending a Word file. But the original post described a situation where the file format was not specified, and given a choice, I wouldn't send a Word file. Scrubbing a Word file is one more procedure to be done, often when you have just minutes to make a deadline--a situation where mistakes are likely.

(The last two RFPs I did were all-nighters. At 3 AM, I formatted a list of 150 items using section breaks to make a three-column list, which seemed a good idea at the time, until the four-year-old footers from some other company appeared in the remainder of the document! It was most enjoyable expunging them...)

Now, we sent a PDF. But Word files are routinely distributed unscrubbed, and there are many cases on record where their hidden metadata, including previous edits and revisions, were exposed; for example:

http://www.executive-resumes.com/2005_11_01_archive.html (UN document on assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister redacted names of Syrian officials suspected of involvement, but changes were recovered)

http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci1158043,00.html (Word document from Merck contained edits removing data linking Vioxx to increased heart attacks)

http://slashdot.org/articles/04/03/04/2055227.shtml (changes in a Word document obtained from SCO revealed their entire litigation strategy)

http://www.planetizen.com/tech/archives/2005/12/20/341/ (reading Word-based RFP files themselves and discovering who the preferred vendor is)

The best article I've seen on how to scrub documents (both Word and PDF) also demonstrates the complexity of the task, and recommends third-party automation tools:

http://www.gcn.com/print/25_4/38253-1.html (Government Computer News, quoting the US National Security Agency)

-- Steve
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