# Trusted Data Format **Domain:** Austin Research / Standards **Doc Type:** Research entity **Source basis:** Supplied research cluster with linked references; see the [[wiki/Austin Research Evidence Map|evidence map]] for verification scope. **Trusted Data Format (TDF)** is the information-object mechanism described in the [[wiki/IC ITE|IC ITE]] research for binding security assertions and metadata to data. The associated policy information can then be interpreted by services handling the object. Its significance is portability of governed information: source and handling context should remain available as data move among applications or storage systems. Metadata alone does not guarantee enforcement; consuming systems must apply the relevant controls. Within the succession architecture this illustrates how information can outlive a particular application while retaining operational meaning and constraints. It complements identity attributes, authorization, catalogs, and audit mechanisms. ## Connected entries [[wiki/IC ITE|IC ITE]] · [[wiki/Machine-Executable Policy|Machine-Executable Policy]] · [[wiki/Attribute-Based Access Control|Attribute-Based Access Control]] · [[wiki/Provenance|Provenance]] · [[wiki/Semantic Interoperability|Semantic Interoperability]] ## Sources and corpus context - [[research/IC ITE - Intelligence Community Information Technology Enterprise|IC ITE - Intelligence Community Information Technology Enterprise]] - [[research/ODIN - Observe, Detect, Identify, Neutralize|ODIN - Observe, Detect, Identify, Neutralize]] - [Intelligence Community Data Strategy 2017–2021](https://www.odni.gov/files/documents/CIO/Data-Strategy_2017-2021_Final.pdf) **Cluster:** [[wiki/Austin Executable Loop|Austin Executable Loop]] · [[wiki/Austin Research Evidence Map|Austin Research Evidence Map]]