The Data Your Photos Leak

Privacy Files

Today, there are more mobile phones in existence than people on earth. That's billions and billions of personal electronic devices of which virtually all likely include at least one camera.

Thirty years ago, taking pictures was an involved process that included dropping off film at a processing lab, where you could pick up the developed photos a few days later.

Nowadays, snapping a picture doesn't cost anything and the reward is instantaneous.

However, this modern convenience comes with a little-known tradeoff: Exchangeable Image File Format data, or EXIF data.

In this episode of Privacy Files, we sit down with Colin, a member of Anonyome Labs' Security and Compliance team, to flesh out the details on EXIF data.

EXIF data is fairly straightforward to remove if you know where to look.

We talk about the most common metadata found in photos and alert you to perhaps the most sensitive EXIF information: location data.

In addition to providing tips for managing EXIF data, we also address the growing problem of bad actors using unique features in photos or videos to find out where people live or where they have recently been.

Hopefully, this discussion will bring attention to a seldom-discussed topic, thus arming you with the knowledge needed to live a little more privately and safely.

Links Referenced:

https://photographylife.com/what-is-exif-data

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exif

https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/privacy/what-can-you-tell-from-photo-exif-data-a2386546443/?srsltid=AfmBOoqGzhW2MoCLU0Fo79guFbmG9WPcc5pp5ipYnE5dALSeqAWpBxSI

https://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/exif-data-explained

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/04/charted-there-are-more-phones-than-people-in-the-world/

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