BeforeShare case study: inspect a file before sharing it

What changed

A file can look ready to send while still carrying a location or author name. BeforeShare handles JPG, PNG, WebP, PDF and DOCX files. Its core sequence is choose a file, inspect supported hidden fields, then download a separate cleaned copy. The original stays available for comparison.

You can try the workflow without choosing a personal file. Open the BeforeShare homepage linked below and select “Try an example”. The fictional image includes example location and author details. Read the inspection screen before choosing “Remove metadata & download”, then review the downloaded copy. The example demonstrates the interface; it does not test your own files.

The published image experiment records a Chromium run on 10 October 2026. Its three synthetic JPEG, PNG and WebP fixtures had one, two and two fields removed respectively. Reinspection found zero supported removable fields, and decoded pixels matched the originals in all three tests. These are specific measurements, not a success rate across arbitrary files.

The document examples make a different point. Seven supported fields were removed from the synthetic PDF and eleven from the DOCX. A name written in the page content remained in both; the PDF reviewer annotation remained too. The study provides the sample files, measured outputs and verification steps so readers can examine those boundaries themselves.

Source: BeforeShare: published cleanup study

Our analysis

Our first design choice is to make inspection a decision step. A single clean button can hide an important question: which information is actually being removed? Showing supported fields first gives the user a chance to understand the file before changing it.

The second choice is browser-local file processing. A selected file does not need to be uploaded for inspection and cleanup in the normal workflow. This reduces the need to entrust a server with the document. It does not mean the website has no network activity: hosting logs, limited product events, cookies and advertising are described separately in the privacy notice.

The third choice is to save a separate copy and make the limits visible. Image metadata cleanup is not image editing. Document cleanup is not redaction. The published fixtures are useful because they show both a successful removal and information that survives, rather than relying on a reassuring badge alone.

For a builder, the repeatable lesson is straightforward: make the scope understandable before the action, preserve the original, and give users evidence they can inspect. For someone sharing a file, the practical next step is to review the actual copy in the app the recipient will use, including its visible contents.

Keep in mind

This article reports the existing published measurements. We did not rerun the full experiment for this case study, perform an independent security audit, or establish results for every browser and real-world file. The image study uses one synthetic still image per format; the document study uses one constructed PDF and one DOCX.

The document checks compare PDF content streams rather than complete rendered pages and do not cover every embedded object, encrypted file, macro or digital signature. The product guidance warns that saving a PDF may invalidate signatures. DOCX cleanup removes comments and accepts tracked changes, so keep the original and review the resulting text.

BeforeShare does not redact visible names, faces, signatures, passwords or watermarks. It does not establish authorship, validate every provenance assertion, remove every possible hidden signal or make a file anonymous. A cleaned copy cannot change copies already shared elsewhere.

To check the evidence, use the cleanup-study link below for the synthetic originals and results, and the example link to try the interface. Use harmless files while learning the workflow. TuliAI is the product operator and the publisher of this case study; these links are disclosed references to our own work.

Source: BeforeShare: published cleanup study