logo
Forensic check

HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE

HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE appears on 42.0% of modified results in our corpus. A marker is evidence about the file, not a judgement about the person who sent it.

Back to all checks
Marker profile

Metadata & Timestamps

Recorded dates showing the document was changed after creation.

Share of modified results
42.0%
Frequency rank
#1
Among the 56 markers seen in modified results
Certain confidence
100.0%
Of results with this marker rated certain rather than high
Fires alone
27.4%
Results where it is the only marker found

Marker profile

What HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE tells you

HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE is one of the named findings returned in modification_markers when a PDF is reported as modified. It belongs to the Metadata & Timestamps group of checks. These checks compare the dates and descriptive properties recorded in a file with each other and with a plausible production history.

On 27.4% of the modified results that carry HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE it is the only marker. A result with this marker carries 2.3 markers on average. It is most often found together with HTPBE_MULTIPLE_REVISION_LAYERS, on 28.8% of these results.

Example API response

How it appears in a result

When a PDF is reported as modified, HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE is listed in modification_markers next to the verdict and its confidence. Each marker is a named, actionable finding – not a score.

GET /api/v1/result/{id}
{
  "id": "9f3a2c1d-8b47-4e6f-a012-3d5e7f890123",
  "status": "modified",
  "modification_confidence": "high",
  "modification_markers": [
    "HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE"
  ],
  "creator": "Adobe Acrobat Pro DC",
  "has_incremental_updates": true,
  "page_count": 3
}

Full schema in the API reference →

Distributions

What ships alongside HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE

The tools, formats and document traits that appear on the modified results carrying this marker. Shares are of those results.

Common Producers

Microsoft Word writes 11.5% of these results – and 67.1% of all modified results naming it carry this marker.

Microsoft Word67.1% of its modified11.5%
iText40.6% of its modified8.9%
macOS Print to PDF56.8% of its modified7.5%
Adobe PDF Library66.7% of its modified4.4%
iOS Print to PDF54.0% of its modified3.7%
Acrobat Distiller81.5% of its modified3.6%
iLovePDF22.0% of its modified3.4%
3-Heights96.2% of its modified2.9%

Common Creators

Microsoft Word is the Creator on 16.7% of these results.

Microsoft Word66.3% of its modified16.7%
Microsoft Reporting Services97.1% of its modified7.7%
Altiuz Reports68.5% of its modified5.7%
ActiveReports63.0% of its modified4.9%
Adobe Illustrator44.0% of its modified3.6%
Aspose58.9% of its modified3.3%
PScript585.0% of its modified3.2%
Scanner HP94.4% of its modified2.7%

Often found together with

HTPBE_MULTIPLE_REVISION_LAYERS sits next to HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE more often than any other marker.

Document origin

Institutional46.2%
Consumer software37.6%
Scanned4.6%
Unknown3.5%
Online editor3.4%
Analysis incomplete0.5%
Unverifiable0.1%

Creator → Producer pairs

Microsoft Word → Microsoft Word11.5%
Adobe Illustrator → Adobe PDF Library3.4%
PScript5 → Acrobat Distiller3.2%
ActiveReports → macOS Print to PDF2.9%
Altiuz Reports → iText2.8%
Scanner HP → 3-Heights2.6%
PDFium → PDFium2.2%
ActiveReports → ActiveReports2.0%

Detected origin software

Microsoft Word14.9%
macOS / iOS (Quartz)10.8%
Adobe Illustrator3.2%
iLovePDF3.2%
HP MFP2.6%
Browser (Print to PDF)2.6%
Adobe Express1.0%
Free HTML-to-PDF renderer0.8%

Confidence of the verdict

Certain91.9%

When these results were checked

March 2025<0.1%
April 2025<0.1%
February 20262.6%
March 20265.1%
April 202668.1%
May 20264.2%
June 20262.0%
July 20264.0%
August 20263.6%
September 20263.9%
October 20264.9%
November 20261.3%

Document length

1 page37.1%
2–5 pages35.9%
6–20 pages11.6%
21–100 pages7.2%
100+ pages0.1%

File size

Under 100 KB17.3%
100 KB – 1 MB71.7%
1 – 5 MB9.1%
Over 5 MB1.9%

PDF versions

PDF 1.737.8%
PDF 1.519.7%
PDF 1.612.9%
PDF 1.311.0%
PDF 1.410.2%
PDF 2.00.3%
PDF unknown0.1%

Year the document says it was created

20162.2%
20224.5%
202310.7%
20245.4%
20259.4%
202665.3%

Long tail

Notable observations

Smaller cuts of the results carrying HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE – useful context, but treat each row as a single data point rather than a strong signal.

Digitally signed
12.0%

Of files carry at least one digital signature

Saved revisions
35.1%

Of files contain earlier saved revisions

Embedded JavaScript
0.2%

Of files contain JavaScript code

Embedded files
2.2%

Of files have attachments inside

Avg pages per document
5.1
Markers per result
2.3

Average number of markers on these results

Related checks

Other Metadata & Timestamps checks

Checks from the same group. Each card links to its own reference page.

HTPBE_TIMESTAMP_LAYERS_DISAGREEInternal timestamp anomalies indicating a later change
Share of modified8.8%
Seen together12.8%
HTPBE_IDENTITY_LAYERS_DISAGREEDocument properties indicating later alteration
Share of modified2.9%
HTPBE_IMPOSSIBLE_TIMESTAMPTimestamp values that are physically impossible
Share of modified1.5%
HTPBE_INVALID_TIMEZONEDate information that is malformed
Share of modified0.1%
HTPBE_ANNOTATION_PREDATES_CREATIONAnnotation dates that do not fit the document’s timeline
Share of modified0.8%
HTPBE_UNLOCK_TOOL_RESIDUESigns that a document-unlocking or editing tool processed this file
Share of modified<0.1%
HTPBE_XMP_DATES_DESYNCEDMetadata timing indicating a later change
Share of modified0.5%
HTPBE_TIMEZONE_LAYERS_DISAGREETime-zone evidence of a later change
Share of modified<0.1%

FAQ

HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE: common questions

What does HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE mean?

HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE is a named finding in an HTPBE? result: recorded dates showing the document was changed after creation. It is returned in the modification_markers list of a modified result and belongs to the Metadata & Timestamps group of checks.

Does HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE mean the document is fake?

No. A marker is evidence about the file, not a judgement about the person who sent it. It records that the file shows this pattern; it does not say why, and it does not assess what the document states. Read it together with the verdict and any other markers on the same result.

What should I do when a result contains HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE?

Ask the sender for the original file straight from the issuing system, or request a fresh copy from the issuer. Check whether the document went through a later step such as re-saving, merging or converting, and verify it with the issuer before relying on it for a decision.

How common is HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE?

HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE appears on 42.0% of the modified results in the HTPBE? corpus. The corpus consists of PDFs people chose to submit for checking, so it skews towards documents someone had a reason to doubt and is not a sample of all PDFs.

Where do I see HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE?

In the modification_markers list of the result returned by the HTPBE? API, and on the result page of a modified document. Other checks in the Metadata & Timestamps group are listed below on this page; all 63 checks are listed on the how-it-works page.

Secure your workflow

Create your account – check PDFs on the web or with an API key, both ready on signup.
No sales call. Cancel any time.

Start Free – Close the Structural Fraud GapSee Pricing
Read API Docs →