You Could Be Sharing A lot Of Information In Your Pictures
Did you know pictures taken with any “smart” device could be providing a lot more information than you realize. Information including data/time picture was taken, and location (GPS) information. That may not be information you want to share, especially if you are posting that picture on the internet. Today’s post will go over EXIF Metadata in pictures, and what you need to know.
What is EXIF
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a standard that specifies the formats for images, sound, and ancillary tags used by digital cameras, smartphones, and other systems handling image and sound files. It includes metadata such as date and time information, camera settings, location (GPS), descriptions, and copyright information. That information is normally embedded and not be easily seen unless you know where to look.
For privacy reasons, you might want to view or remove this data before sharing images online. Alternatively, photographers and professionals might want to preserve or edit this data for cataloging and organization purposes.
Common EXIF Fields
- Camera details: make, model, lens, shutter speed, aperture, ISO.
- Timestamps: capture date and time.
- GPS coordinates: latitude/longitude if location services were enabled.
- Thumbnail: a small preview image.
- Author/copyright info: if added by the device or editing software.
- Software/edit history: tools used to modify the file
How Can You See And Modify EXIF Data
There are many apps, or sites that can show you the EXIF data of any picture. The site that Tech Geek and More likes to recommend is EXIFdata.com.
The site is open source, and as part of their Privacy Policy, they list
Your Privacy is Our Priority
EXIFdata.com is designed with privacy at its core. All image processing happens entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript. Your images and their metadata never leave your device.
Open Source
Our commitment to privacy is transparent. The code that processes your images runs entirely in your browser and can be inspected using your browser’s developer tools.
In addition, the site is not covered in ads, so it is easy and painless to navigate. When you upload a picture, you will see many functions on the page which include sections like GPS Data, where individual information can be edited, added (if you are a professional and want to keep track of your pictures), or removed (if you don’t want to share information).
In addition, a break down of any sensitive data (like location) that is found
and the ability to remove all EXIF information with one click, if that is what you are looking for.
NOTE: This is NOT a paid post. This information is being shared, for the knowledge of Tech Geek and More visitors.
Final Thought
Especially if you are posting pictures online, you don’t want to share information that can be used against you. Some examples of how EXIF data in pictures are being used by criminals
- Thieves and criminals are using a simple technique:
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- Download photos from social media
- Extract GPS coordinates from EXIF data
- Map your exact location using Google Maps
- Track your movements over time
- Plan crimes based on your location patterns
- There have been many home burglary cases where
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- Thieves tracked vacation photos to empty homes
- GPS data revealed home addresses from social media posts
- Criminals used location data to plan break-ins
- Stalking Incidents:
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- Stalkers extracted GPS data from Instagram photos
- Location data revealed daily routines and patterns
- Victims’ home addresses were discovered from photos
- Stalkers used location data to track victims
- Identity Theft:
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- Criminals pieced together location data with personal info
- GPS coordinates helped verify identities
- Location patterns revealed sensitive information
This is why Tech Geek and More recommends checking pictures, especially if you are going to post them online.
Source(s)
- EXIF – EXIFdata.com
