diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 526f6b874..160e59405 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -56,3 +56,4 @@ serial_test = "0.5"
 
 [features]
 sudo = []
+no-windows-permissions = []
diff --git a/src/meta/mod.rs b/src/meta/mod.rs
index d0c3f83aa..16f5bb7bb 100644
--- a/src/meta/mod.rs
+++ b/src/meta/mod.rs
@@ -212,14 +212,15 @@ impl Meta {
         };
 
         #[cfg(unix)]
-        let owner = Owner::from(&metadata);
-        #[cfg(unix)]
-        let permissions = Permissions::from(&metadata);
+        let (owner, permissions) = (Some(Owner::from(&metadata)), Some(Permissions::from(&metadata)));
+
+        #[cfg(all(windows, feature = "no-windows-permissions"))]
+        let (owner, permissions) = (None, None);
 
-        #[cfg(windows)]
+        #[cfg(all(windows, not(feature = "no-windows-permissions")))]
         let (owner, permissions) = windows_utils::get_file_data(&path)?;
 
-        let file_type = FileType::new(&metadata, symlink_meta.as_ref(), &permissions);
+        let file_type = FileType::new(&metadata, symlink_meta.as_ref(), &permissions.unwrap_or_default());
         let name = Name::new(&path, file_type);
         let inode = INode::from(&metadata);
         let links = Links::from(&metadata);
@@ -232,8 +233,8 @@ impl Meta {
             size: Size::from(&metadata),
             date: Date::from(&metadata),
             indicator: Indicator::from(file_type),
-            owner,
-            permissions,
+            owner: owner.unwrap_or_default(),
+            permissions: permissions.unwrap_or_default(),
             name,
             file_type,
             content: None,
diff --git a/src/meta/owner.rs b/src/meta/owner.rs
index a9ecd5c47..17b1e735d 100644
--- a/src/meta/owner.rs
+++ b/src/meta/owner.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,13 @@ impl Owner {
     }
 }
 
+impl Default for Owner {
+    fn default() -> Owner
+    {
+        Owner { user: String::from(""), group: String::from("") }
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(unix)]
 impl<'a> From<&'a Metadata> for Owner {
     fn from(meta: &Metadata) -> Self {
@@ -37,10 +44,18 @@ impl<'a> From<&'a Metadata> for Owner {
 
 impl Owner {
     pub fn render_user(&self, colors: &Colors) -> ColoredString {
-        colors.colorize(self.user.clone(), &Elem::User)
+        if self.user.len() == 0 {
+            colors.colorize("?".to_owned(), &Elem::User)
+        } else {
+            colors.colorize(self.user.clone(), &Elem::User)
+        }
     }
 
     pub fn render_group(&self, colors: &Colors) -> ColoredString {
-        colors.colorize(self.group.clone(), &Elem::Group)
+        if self.group.len() == 0 {
+            colors.colorize("?".to_owned(), &Elem::Group)
+        } else {
+            colors.colorize(self.group.clone(), &Elem::Group)
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/meta/permissions.rs b/src/meta/permissions.rs
index 4b3450a79..6169d16e7 100644
--- a/src/meta/permissions.rs
+++ b/src/meta/permissions.rs
@@ -103,6 +103,26 @@ impl Permissions {
     }
 }
 
+impl Default for Permissions
+{
+    fn default() -> Permissions {
+        Permissions {
+            user_read: false,
+            user_write: false,
+            user_execute: false,
+            group_read: false,
+            group_write: false,
+            group_execute: false,
+            other_read: false,
+            other_write: false,
+            other_execute: false,
+            sticky: false,
+            setgid: false,
+            setuid: false
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 // More readable aliases for the permission bits exposed by libc.
 #[allow(trivial_numeric_casts)]
 #[cfg(unix)]
diff --git a/src/meta/windows_utils.rs b/src/meta/windows_utils.rs
index 8ae8585f6..d3c04da47 100644
--- a/src/meta/windows_utils.rs
+++ b/src/meta/windows_utils.rs
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ use super::{Owner, Permissions};
 
 const BUF_SIZE: u32 = 256;
 
-pub fn get_file_data(path: &Path) -> Result<(Owner, Permissions), io::Error> {
+pub fn get_file_data(path: &Path) -> Result<(Option<Owner>, Option<Permissions>), io::Error> {
     // Overall design:
     // This function allocates some data with GetNamedSecurityInfoW,
     // manipulates it only through WinAPI calls (treating the pointers as
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ pub fn get_file_data(path: &Path) -> Result<(Owner, Permissions), io::Error> {
         winapi::um::winbase::LocalFree(sd_ptr);
     }
 
-    Ok((owner, permissions))
+    Ok((Some(owner), Some(permissions)))
 }
 
 /// Evaluate an ACL for a particular trustee and get its access rights