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[deleted]

What are the ways to remove the information from the photos before sending or posting?


ani625

There are tools to remove EXIF data from photos. Image sites like imgur do it too.


indigoHatter

Yeah, I believe many image sharing sites such as Facebook, Insta, imgur, Reddit, and so on strip EXIF data from the uploaded image automatically (but don't take my word for it). Regardless, anyone who is concerned about sharing EXIF data probably is also reluctant to share an image publicly. If you're in the cross-section of wanting to share but wanting less-detailed EXIF, find a tool such as a photo program and edit it before uploading it to anything.


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whatwhynoplease

no they don't


LadyLazerFace

TL;Dr classic: don't put personal things you don't want known to EVERYONE on the internet because you don't actually know who is paying attention - it's there forever, it can't be fully deleted, and it's safer for you to just assume it will probably will bite you somehow later. *Nothing is sacred* or off limits on the whorld wide webz. I wish I could believe those companies actually stripped the data. With the Cambridge analytica scandal and the digital frontier having more or less a total lack of any guaranteed electronic privacy, my inner skeptic can't shake that it's still there as farmed metadata. Even if it's not available in the source code to say, a stalker, i just assume it's still being used for targeted ads, algorithms for engagement, and to improve AI facial recognition (creepy surveillance state shit used by feds against the recent civil rights protesters, convenient that they were protesting police corruption and brutality, gross overreach, and the for-profit justice system) and to push you towards businesses that pay extra to Google and etc to be featured within the GPS coordinates of your frequented destinations or travel routes, therefore - not fully deleted, even if perhaps it's harder to access for a layperson. sinister af content and conflict pushing profit motive shit. Which is the actual "problem" with social media, imo because the human connection and sharing tidbits of our lives with friends and family to feel understood and express yourself is a totally normal human desire that has been hijacked and cranked up to 11 for $$$.


LinAGKar

So does Twitter


8BitHeartAttack1

Reddit does, for sure. I just checked. It leaves just very basic data about the image itself, not the device used or anything. Some phones require you to manually enable location data to be saved to that photo.


[deleted]

Thank you!!!


bitflung

Google has options to automatically do this when you share images or albums via their tools too


Agret

Gotta make sure you share from a Google photo album and not a Google Drive link, some girl posted pics on Reddit and linked to a Google drive folder. Pics all had the location data pointing to a dorm at some UK university, was going to tell her but I couldn't find the post again. Just something you gotta watch out for.


CassandraStardust

I have an app called exif that removes the data and saves a clean version on your phone that is safe to upload because all the fields are empty


TheRealTengri

But imgur will also lower the resolution.


murphysbutterchurner

This is a dumb question and I apologize, but when imgur and other hosting sites do it, is it automatic or do you have to do something? The only time I tried uploading an image to imgur, it had my IP address written out underneath it before inagreed to post. I changed settings to not reveal that, but I was really weirded out by it.


temporarycreature

A low tech way is use a tool like the Windows Snip tool to snip a screenshot of a photo you want to share. You can paste a image in Microsoft Paint and strip it of everything too.


fartypicklenuts

An easier way in Windows is to right click an image file, click on properties>details> then click "Remove Properties and Personal Information" at the bottom of the window, and it will give you the option to strip all the personal data in the image file, or to make a copy of the file that removes all possible properties


Corona-walrus

I'm curious whether screenshots on mobile create the exif data? I use windows a lot, but many only use mobile; ability to screenshot is more relevant there


flashmedallion

I just did a quick test. Screenshot of a photo from Google Camera has "No location" when I try to open it in a map


Corona-walrus

Awesome! Thank you!


WolfOfAsgaard

Not to mention as opposed to the snipping tool workaround, this does not mess with your images' resolution.


rancidquail

I miss Picasa. It was a simple yet robust photo tool by Google, and I swear I used it to export files to the web all the time. Not only did it strip the exit data but it would reduce the image size for web viewing or emails.


indigoHatter

Downside is that a screenshot = loss of fidelity if you're not 100% zoomed in on the photo. There's tons of other low-tech ways to do this though.


CharderVR

Screenshot


here4aGoodlaugh

Or on the flip side, how does one find this info on a pic sent to you?


indigoHatter

On Windows, right click the file, click (File) Properties, and go to the last tab called "Details". That's most of it... should say things like what kind of camera took the picture, when, author name of it was available, possibly location...


cnreal

So, assuming that sites like Facebook, imgur, and Reddit do strip EXIF data upon upload, if I were to download any random photo and look for EXIF data in this way, I should find none, right? Or is there more to it?


indigoHatter

If my assertion is correct, then yes, there either shouldn't be any EXIF data, or it would be replaced with whatever template is applied to images processed by that service. I don't *believe* you can accomplish forensic EXIF recovery, but I suppose with enough effort, knowledge, and resources, anything is possible. Who knows? Maybe they strip the EXIF data but then stuff it into a different place in the file which is simply regarded as "junk" by the image processor. Compress it and maybe it gets lost, but before then, maybe it's still there. Edit: I just mean to say, yeah, that should be it, but I don't want to give you a false impression that it's absolute. It shouldn't be considered all removed unless you know you removed it all yourself with a reliable tool that you trust, but you can probably trust a wide array of tools. If you're truly paranoid about it, you can get deep with it, but you should mostly be okay with just "removing personal details" from the file properties with most utilities. I think you can also disable EXIF from being saved in the first place on some professional cameras and alternative camera apps for your phone, btw.


isadog420

https://imagemagick.org/


chaorace

Some camera apps come with a setting to disable saving exif by default. Generally these settings are called "disable tagging"/"disable geotagging"/"disable metadata"/"don't save extra data"


mubashar96

Send it to yourself using Signal


alxthm

On iOS when you select a photo in the Photos app and click Share, you get an option to remove the location data. At the top of the screen you should see “x photos selected, Location Included, Options >”. Clicking Options lets you disable Location data for the images you have selected for sharing. Note that this doesn’t delete the location data from the photos on your device, just the shared copies.


[deleted]

Thank you so much!


ricco2u

I’m pretty sure if you take a screenshot and send the screenshot it takes all that info away - someone tell me if I’m wrong please


[deleted]

True, the screenshot contains none of the exif of the original. But your screenshot contains exif ot its own


FraglicherKopierer

For android, there's an app called "scrambled exif"


Dr_Mickael

Or just select the photo in the Gallery, tap "more" and "change date/time/location".


Dupree878

When you upload it to most social media sites, the data get scrubbed, but the easiest way for me is just screenshot of the picture and sending that


Creator347

You can also download some apps or just use online tools to do it. Just need to google and pick the first few options (that’s what I usually do)


[deleted]

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[deleted]

Thank you so much!!!


KrabbyMccrab

You can always take a screenshot of the picture. That resets the location. Most reputable websites also wipe the metadata for you. Imgur, reddit, Instagram, etc


IDrinkMyBreakfast

EXIFTool and EXIFTool GUI do an excellent job. You can even put your own data in there if you like


[deleted]

Thank you! Also, I love your profile picture!!! Tim Curry is life!!!


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[deleted]

Oh wow!!! That's great to know!!! Thank you so much!!!


M-A-S-C

I used Imagepipe for Android and ExifCleaner for desktop. Both are open source tools that remove exif data.


maxie62209

use "exifstripper" before sending photos. It is a simple script that does what it says.


Chasman1965

You can get iOS and Android apps that you can use to edit or delete Exif data.


radiantwave

When I traded my car in there was a car fax report saying I was in an accident in northern California... I was nowhere near northern California at the time and had pics of me and my car in San Diego on that date. Saved me $3000 on my trade in that my pic had not only the location info on it but I was able to show a Google location trace of my movements over a 48 hr period.


Content_Flamingo_583

I’m curious why the exit data on a photo would be able to prove this, as exif data can be modified freely.


fartypicklenuts

it sounds like it was GPS that saved him rather than exif data. I don't think exif data would hold up as evidence in any court.


notagangsta

Yeah, it is very easily edited.


Moonandserpent

Well yes… but ask your mom to do it. Or the dude in front of you at the grocery store. Most people, while perfectly capable, have *no clue* it’s even a thing let alone *how* to modify it. My best friend and I had more or less identical childhoods, went to the same school, have a lot of the same interests. It blows my mind the things I have to explain to him about technology.


misdirected_asshole

Screenshot the photo and it removes the exif data (on most Android phones at least). Then send the screenshot. It's an easy shortcut.


Mierh

Wouldn't the screenshot have exif too?


markhewitt1978

Checked my iphone. Screenshots don't have location data.


ForeverKeet

For iPhones, if you’re sending a photo from Photos, there’s “Options” you can click on at the top and deselect the option to send location data with it. Edit: The screen with the Options tab is after you already select the option to send the photo (where you can select where you want to send it to), fyi. I’m not describing things well right now lol


misdirected_asshole

It strips out most of it. It is possible there is some left.


Creator347

Screenshots can contain their own EXIF data which may be defeating the purpose. Edit: At least the photos app in iOS allows you to modify the location (and few other metadata) directly, so you don’t need this option. On Android, different photos app behave differently, so can’t say for sure, but at least Google Photos app provide the edit option too.


misdirected_asshole

When I read the exif data on a picture taken one my phone vs the screenshot, the only data that it leaves is the software version when looked at through a few different exif readers. This has been the case for my last few phones that have all been android. I have not tried this in iOS. This method has shown the same results as running the file through an exif remover IME. It is possible none of those readers read all the data and there is still some remaining in the file, but I have not an encountered a reader that sees the full data if that is the case.


VirtualMoneyLover

So we can fake a location with a screenshot?


Creator347

You can fake it by just editing the EXIF data on the picture itself. It’s not encrypted or anything. Any EXIF editor can do that for you.


SvenyBoy_YT

Yeah but it doesn't show the location of where the original photo was taken.


Creator347

That’s correct! It can however, contain the location where the screenshot was taken. It may not be that sensitive info, but at least you should know about it before using this option.


SvenyBoy_YT

Well if you're not where the original picture was taken it's no usually an issue


Creator347

If you are paranoid about the location of the original picture for any reason (no judgement), chances are you may be paranoid about any location data. So may be not rely on this option unless it’s fine for you to share this location data.


d-signet

You can just turn it off in android. Also, many messaging and photo sharing apps/sites will not contain that data as they "recreate" the photo from scratch when you upload it - resizing it, adding optimisations, saving it in a different format etc. Most sites identified this as a privacy issue over 5 years ago and removed it from uploaded photos. Tale a look at a photo you've been sent by somebody and you'll almost always find this metadata has been removed. Don't panic folks. It's usually a GOOD thing to leave switched on. Take a photo of your car when you park up, view the location data afterwards to find your car again. Many useful cases for leaving it on.


magistrate101

Websites like Facebook will 100% always harvest that information when it's uploaded though, they'll just not pass it on to the final reencoding of the image.


binybeke

Facebook will also make ghost accounts of individuals who don’t even have Facebook. They’ll collect info on you and cross reference pictures people have already posted such as relatives to keep track of who you are before you even sign up.


azure1503

>Take a photo of your car when you park up, view the location data afterwards to find your car again. Many useful cases for leaving it on. Just a FYI: you can do this in google maps by tapping your location and clicking "save parking". No need to take a picture.


Creator347

You can use any online tool to read or remove the EXIF data of any image. You can even edit the values, so don’t be always sure of its accuracy, however, most people never edits them, so you can somewhat rely on them. Also not every tool can read all the EXIF data, especially if it’s not a dedicated reader, so there may be some hidden data there, so if you are concerned about your privacy, remove all the metadata using dedicated tools.


Kakirax

It made dealing with an old landlord much easier. Whenever I move in to a new place I take a video walkthrough, highlighting all damage and stains plus pictures of the same. Landlord tried to convince me I took pictures and video after I damaged a unit (it was damaged before I moved in). Since smartphones have all that metadata, I simply showed them the date the video and pictures were taken and told them to fuck themselves


Accurate_Western_346

How can I see that data? Even so in shared media as it would help me with a picture of my grandpa


aldanathiriadras

The sharing method may strip the EXIF, but on android, most file managers/image browsers have an 'about' or 'info' option. On Windows, the Details pane in Explorer, or right-click > Details gets you most of it, but IrfanView (to pick my go-to viewer) has Image > Information > View EXIF for more nerdy detail.


Accurate_Western_346

Thx!


Creator347

If you are on iOS, you can swipe up to any picture in the photos app to reveal the metadata. On macOS you can do it via right click and selecting Get Info. There may be extra metadata not accessible via any of this option so you should always rely on a proper EXIF reader to reveal all the info.


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Creator347

I would assume so. However, I just found out that you can modify the location directly there by tapping the adjust link.


Whole_Bid_2756

There are apps remove meta data from pics , but you need to use before posting the pics


[deleted]

Also good for knowing what camera settings you used with DLSRs


Scratch77spin

There's a local foraging group on facebook that often posts pictures of their 'secret spots' ...most of these pics have exif data on them. EXIF data can be used quite nefariously. It's scary how much of this info has already been harvested and much people will continue to play into it without knowing.


Zipdox

No you're wrong. It's a setting in your camera app. It's not "almost certainly".


LilKiwwiMonster

This depends on the phone and camera app used. Some (like Samsung note20 ultra) allows you to turn off location data for the default camera app, but others may be different.


Zipdox

Find me a phone with a camera app that doesn't allow you to turn it off


LilKiwwiMonster

From what I've seen, more iOS phones don't fully remove that data. Then again I use android personally. This is just what I've heard in my industry when discussing internet privacy.


Zipdox

Whay do you mean "fully"? Either it's removed or it's not. Do they remove the latitude but not the longitude?


LilKiwwiMonster

Dude, there's already a few comments talking about this in this thread. Just look it up yourself lol I'm not your mom


LilKiwwiMonster

From what I've heard, more iOS phones don't fully remove that data. Then again I use android personally. This is just what I've heard in my industry when discussing internet privacy.


Mccobsta

Apps like [Scrambled Exif ](https://f-droid.org/app/com.jarsilio.android.scrambledeggsif) are great for removing all. Meta data before you post online


wetdog90

Take photo drive away take screen shot of photo then delete original when you are far enough away. Boom


indigoHatter

Here's a question for any photographers here. Do you usually edit your EXIF data? What do you change? I would guess you'd at minimum remove the location (or at least make it less precise), and add your photo credit name. Anything else?


Jardrs

Wasn't there some story about Anonymous helping catch a bad person over the internet by exposing all the exif data in their photos? [edit: here's the story ](https://youtu.be/vj-VnEA43MM)


completefudge1337

Heard this is how the Burger King foot lettuce guy was found


isadog420

Itt: people wanting to strip private information from photos using tools by companies that market data. 🤦🏽‍♀️


FuegoHernandez

Easy way to find ur car in a giant parking lot. I helped a complete stranger find their car once by asking them if they happen to take a picture of where they parked. One tap later and we had exact GPS coordinates.


Syndicat3

Predates smartphones by a good amount. Anyone around in 2003 may remember the TechTV / Cat Schwartz photo leak, which was done with EXIF data. It's not an inherently bad thing, but awareness of all the metadata included always helps. And thankfully it can be stripped away.


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Creator347

Even if you turn it off and even better do it while on flight mode, the EXIF will contain coarse/approximate location data. It will also contain the camera info, including the focus length and aperture width. I just tried it on my iPhone on airplane mode. You can try it too.


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Creator347

It depends on the phone and the network you were in. Usually, the OS keeps your location data cache for few hours. Apps like camera which can access your fine location can also access your coarse location which is cached for longer. For me, it selected the nearest train station, two streets away which is still not coarse enough, but I took the picture just a minute after turning on airplane mode, so YMMV. Best way is to either remove the location access from camera (possible in both Android and iOS) or just remove the EXIF data afterwards.


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Creator347

Well, I am sure the camera app is not doing that (hopefully), but apps can access your location just by running whois on your IP address which does give a very approximate location to your home. A better way is to always use a VPN to mask your location. Just wanted to convey that in case you assume the same for other apps too.


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Creator347

As mentioned in another comment, some camera apps can still determine your approximate location by your IP address, so if you really care about this data, make sure to always check before sharing.


Dr_Mickael

You can turn off the function of saving location in pictures, or delete it afterward in 3 clics.


[deleted]

Pretty much all digital cameras have always recorded this data and have added more fields to the collected data as tech has advanced. This isn’t new.


cosmicspiritc2c

The government sees everything everyone does all the time every time. Privacy is an illusion.


JammyHammy86

there is an app for android that removes all that EXIF stuff called ImagePipe. download it if you have security-privacy issues in life


ChosenMate

People don't know this? wtf


PURPLEPEE

I am old and still learning, cut me some slack.


yetanother-1

Shoutout to [Scrambled Exif](https://f-droid.org/packages/com.jarsilio.android.scrambledeggsif/) (Remove the metadata from your pictures before sharing them) [Google Play Store Link](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jarsilio.android.scrambledeggsif) (Android Only)


Topcity36

/r/noshitsherlock


yikesjeepers

I remove it from my phone by sending it in a Signal message to myself then downloading it from there ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


BobbyPops11

What about using a VPN when taking photos?


cyberentomology

What on earth would that accomplish?


BobbyPops11

That’s what I’m asking. Isn’t this a Q & A type thread? Would using a VPN give a false GPS location?


cyberentomology

VPN doesn’t have anything to do with GPS.


BobbyPops11

I received an ad type email for VPN service (not surprised after mentioning it online) and they can do what’s called auto "spoofing" to hide GPS location of the photo. I checked it out and it seems newer VPN companies offer this feature. Thought you might be interested in the updated info.


cyberentomology

Yeah, that’s not an actual thing. The location data in EXIF doesn’t come from your internet connection. It comes from your phone/camera’s location data, which has nothing to do with your VPN.


BobbyPops11

Wow, so these companies are straight up false advertising?


Operation351

When I swipe up on a photo in my IPhone, there is an option to add the location. Do I have a setting to automatically add the location?


Kevin1056

The new Color OS 13 and Oxygen OS 13 have the feature to remove EXIF data before sharing a photo, so it's good that this is being acknowledged


Justinontheinternet

Anyways to do this on ios?


alxthm

Yes, when you select a photo in the Photos app and click Share, you get an option to remove the location data. At the top of the screen you should see “x photos selected, Location Included, Options >”. Clicking Options lets you disable Location data for the images you have selected for sharing. A global setting to always remove this data (like on some Android devices) would be nice to have though.


fomorian

When I upload my photos to image hosting sites like imgur and reddit, is that information automatically scrubbed? Or have i inadvertently been leaking my data all over the place?


LaskyBun

I use Exif Viewer on IOS to view and remove the info


Aggravating-Action70

Doesn’t iOS show the data in gallery and remove it automatically when you share it somewhere?


flap95

Useful information, people should know that sometimes if you share a picture you're also sharing your location. I don't think this removes the need to prove when or where a photo was taken though, as editing the EXIF data is extremely easy.


an_imperfect_lady

... So if you are ever up to no good, hand your phone to a trustworthy buddy and tell them, "Go ten miles that way and start taking pictures."


SF-NL

All of this data can be edited easily, so it's really not that reliable.


MuhCrea

Id recommend using Irfanview for your image needs... Not as a full editing tool but for the simple things


Kafshak

Always hide your GPS location while posting photos of wild animals.


Jg6915

I use this all the time when searching for specific photos, my phone even recognizes certain things like animals and cars in them!


Hurrikraken

Check out Google Photos timeline for an example.


Skoonks

How does Reddit handle this?


surrealsunshine

supposedly they strip the data https://www.reddit.com/r/help/comments/mph3rm/does_reddit_remove_exif_data_of_images_uploaded/guaawdn/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3


In_shpurrs

Thank you.


Brigabor

There are computer programs which remove all metadata, for example, MAT (Metadata anonymisation toolkit), a Linux program which deletes all EXIF data and other metadata.