PSA: EXIF, Privacy, and YOU!

This is a post that I've been meaning to put together for a while now, but have put off for equally as long. Judging by the amount of time that goes between each of my posts, I know it's not exactly hard to believe. However, I was really motivated this past week by the sheer number of people that post pics on popular sites that still include their GPS locations. In today's world of crazy internet stalkers, obsessive ex's, or OAGs, information like that isn't just "bleh", it can become downright annoying or dangerous.

"What? No way!", you may be saying.

Well, I'm here to tell you "Yes way!"

GPS coordinates (sometimes called a "geotag") can be part of the information that is stored on a digital photograph's EXIF data, especially those taken with smartphones that have, generally by default, location tracking enabled.

Imagine taking a "selfie" in that incredibly cute outfit you just bought and posting it up on your Tumblr page. Unbeknownst to you, one of your "followers" is a little more attracted to you than is healthy and they just absolutely need to tell you how cute that outfit really is on you. In person.

You're a model with a profile on a website that caters to models, photographers, etc. and you are approached by a someone who is extremely interested in shooting with you. After looking at their body of work, you decide that their style isn't consistent with yours and you politely decline. But they don't take it quite as politely as you meant it and it just so happens that you have a geotagged cell phone pic of you in your profile showing your new hair style/color.

Yes, I know these are kind of extreme examples and probably more the exception than the rule. And, yes, normally, if you took any of these pictures with a run of the mill point & shoot, then he/she is SOL. Likewise, if you've already turned off the location/geotagging feature or if you took the picture in a public place like a mall or a park, then you're probably all right. But you know what they say, an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.

So what is EXIF?

EXIF stands for exchangeable image file format and is basically information embedded in a digital photograph (JPG, TIFF, BMP, RAW/CR2/DNG, etc.) that provides information on the image: the kind of camera that was used, what the focal length was, exposure time, etc. However, on smartphones (and some point & shoots), an extra tag can also be included that gives your location information as GPS coordinates. Depending on the strength of the GPS signal, these coordinates can be either be general (neighborhood/street/intersection level) or very specific (which house on that street).

What does the information look like?


An example of EXIF information from Google Images. As you can see, the information for this image is pretty vanilla.


An example of a geotagged EXIF.


Extensions available to browsers such as Chrome and Firefox have the ability to view EXIF data just by putting your cursor over the image to be examined. In this example, clicking the red "GPS" notation opens up a Google Maps page with a pin on the coordinates.

OK, so now what?

Luckily, on today’s smartphones, it is easy enough to disable this feature. Refer to your phone’s manual for precise procedures. I've included the instructions for a couple of the most popular models below.

In addition, you can host your images on sites that automatically strip an image of all EXIF data, such as Imgur. It is worth noting that Facebook (as of this post) also automatically strips EXIF information from images that are uploaded.

iPhone 4 / 4S / 5
1 .Go to Settings
2. Select General
3. Select Location Services
4. Set Camera to “Off”


Android 4.2 phones
1. Start camera application
2. Hit the Settings button
3. Scroll down and find the GPS Tag option and turn it off
NOTE: In older versions, the option may be called “Store Location,” but is more or less the same process.


Windows 7 / 7.8 / 8
1. Go to Settings
2. Navigate to Applications
3. Scroll down to photos+Camera
4. Uncheck “Include location info in pictures I take”