metadata
Descriptive information supporting findability and governance.
How the laws define this
Regulatory definitions consistently establish metadata as structural or descriptive information associated with datasets or digital assets, serving to enable discoverability, provenance tracking, auditability, and authorized reuse. The core consensus emphasizes cataloging attributes such as data sources, schemas, licensing, content, and quality metrics. However, these instruments diverge significantly regarding the nature of the data captured and its primary compliance purpose. While frameworks like Order of the Minister No. 385/NQ - On Approval of Requirements for Data Management, the Act on Open Data and Re-use of Public Sector Information, the Report of the Committee on Platforms and Data on Artificial Intelligence, and provisions relating to artificial intelligence in elections focus on high-level catalog descriptions for administrative management, ingestion, and interoperability, the Guide on the Use of Social Media and the Internet for Media Practice in Kenya uniquely targets embedded technical details—including timestamps, geolocation, device identifiers, and edit history—specifically to support verification, archiving, accountability, and fact-checking.
Synthesised from the 5 statutory definitions below. Each one is quoted in full, with its source.
How jurisdictions differ
What is distinctive in each definition, binding law in force first.
| Jurisdiction | Instrument | Status | What is distinctive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | Act of 11 August 2021 on Open Data and Re-use of Public Sector Information | In Force | Adds requirements for publishing specific structured metadata like title, description, source, format, update frequency, licensing and contact details on the national data portal. |
| India | Report of the Committee on Platforms and Data on Artificial Intelligence (MeitY report) | Adopted | Adds AI-specific elements like schema, quality metrics and labeling protocols to support interoperability, discoverability, auditability and reuse on platforms. |
| Kazakhstan | Order of the Minister No. 385/NQ - On Approval of Requirements for Data Management | Repealed | Adds governance elements like classification tags, retention periods and access rules maintained in catalogs for compliance monitoring and lifecycle management. |
| Missouri, United States | Creates new provisions relating to the use of artificial intelligence in elections | Withdrawn | Adds exhaustive list including content, rights, accuracy, periodicity, granularity, publisher, contact information and method of collection. |
| Kenya | Guide on the Use of Social Media and the Internet for Media Practice in Kenya (Media Council of Kenya draft) | Draft | Adds technical embedded data like timestamps, geolocation, device identifiers and edit history specifically for verification, archiving and audit trails in media. |
What it triggers
- In Poland, public sector entities must publish structured metadata about high-value and dynamic datasets on the national data portal.source
- The Report of the Committee on Platforms and Data on Artificial Intelligence sets out recommendations for metadata to enable interoperability and reuse of datasets.source
- Under Order of the Minister No. 385/NQ, public sector entities required maintaining structured metadata in catalogs until it was repealed.source
- The Guide on the Use of Social Media and the Internet for Media Practice in Kenya calls for maintaining metadata to facilitate accountability and fact-checking.source
Definitions (5)
Structured descriptive information about a data asset—such as schema, provenance, classification tags, retention periods and access rules—maintained in catalogs to support findability, authorized reuse, compliance monitoring and lifecycle management.
Structured descriptive information about a dataset (including title, description, source, format, update frequency, licensing and contact details) required to be published on the national data portal to enable discovery, automated ingestion, quality assessment and interoperability.
Contextual and technical data embedded in or associated with digital assets (e.g., timestamps, geolocation, device identifiers, edit history) that support future verification, archiving and audit trails. The Guide requires maintaining metadata to facilitate accountability and fact‑checking.
'Metadata' comprises descriptive information about datasets—such as provenance, schema, quality metrics, labeling protocols and licensing—that enables interoperability, discoverability, auditability and reuse of datasets on the platform.
Metadata refers to structural or descriptive information about data such as content, format, source, rights, accuracy, provenance, periodicity, granularity, publisher or responsible party, contact information, method of collection, and other relevant descriptions of the data.
Not to be confused with
Data passport is a standardized metadata record describing a dataset, while metadata is the descriptive information itself.
Content provenance information is machine-readable data on origin and history, whereas metadata covers broader descriptive elements.
Questions and answers
What metadata must Polish public bodies publish?
Structured descriptive information including title, description, source, format, update frequency, licensing and contact details. This is required on the national data portal for high-value and dynamic datasets.
What does metadata include for AI datasets in India?
Descriptive information such as provenance, schema, quality metrics, labeling protocols and licensing. It enables interoperability, discoverability, auditability and reuse.
Is metadata required for media using AI in Kenya?
The draft guide calls for maintaining contextual and technical data like timestamps, geolocation and edit history to support verification and accountability.
Related Terms
data asset
A dataset or collection managed as a unit....
metadata catalogue
Machine-readable inventory of datasets and metadata....
content provenance information
Machine-readable data documenting a content item's origin and history....
data passport
Standardized metadata record describing a dataset....
Data Registries
Catalogues recording dataset metadata, provenance, and access rules....