The NSA collects and analyzes EXIF data, too. Or maybe you just don’t want to give away your photo-taking tricks and secrets. It could also be used (theoretically) to find other photos on the internet that you’ve taken with that camera. If you ever share or upload an iffy or incriminating photo, it can be traced back to your camera. Not only can EXIF data include the manufacturer and model of your camera, but it can also include its serial number. (But don’t take this as a reason to stop using your smartphone as a camera!)Ĭonsider a DSLR camera that you’ve been using for years. This can be great for geotagging your adventures, but can also give away the location of your home to strangers if you upload those shots to social media. When you take shots with your Android, those photos can contain the GPS coordinates of where you took them. The problem is that certain devices may embed certain types of data that can betray your personal privacy and security.Ĭonsider a GPS-enabled, camera-equipped smartphone.

Sounds fine, right? On the whole, EXIF data is actually well-intentioned, innocent, and practical.

Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings.

This is why online photography courses are so popular - there’s just so much to learn that even a genius would need several decades to achieve mastery of it all.ĮXIF data embeds a lot of this technical information into the image itself, making it easy for you to see how a particular photograph was taken (great for studying, learning, and recreating). Not only is it one of the most creative and life-improving activities that you could pick up, but it’s also intensely technical: exposure, lighting, composition, posing, etc. What Is EXIF Data? And How Can It Be Bad? This metadata is called EXIF data (Exchangeable Image File Format) and is harmless in most cases, but can be used by malicious users to inconvenience you at best or harm you at worst. Post By Katoudis Konstantinos in Blog, Privacy on Jan 21, 2017ĭid you know that most cameras embed hidden information, called metadata, into every photograph taken? And when you share those images, say by uploading them to a social network, that hidden information often stays embedded? And that people can view said information for almost no effort at all? 3 Ways To Remove EXIF MetaData From Photos (And Why You Might Want To)

Photo metadata remover