Cyber & IT Supervisory Forum - Additional Resources

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21 P HOTO M ETADATA

Photo metadata are set of data describing and supplying information about rights and administration of an image.  Many devices with cameras, like smartphones, embed the set of data into the pictures they capture.  Data types include the shutter speed, ISO, aperture data, camera mode, and/or GPS location of where the picture was taken.  They are stored within the pictures they take in a format called the Exchangeable Image Format (EXIF) and left intact, present a potential privacy vulnerability when shared across devices or uploaded onto the Internet. In short, to protect your privacy, remove EXIF data from your images.

iOS

21.1.1 Remove EXIF Data Prior to Apple’s release of iOS 13 there was no native way to disable EXIF data.

 With the release of iOS 14, Apple offered a way to remove EXIF data from photos. This URL will inform you on how to do so along with other key features within iOS 15 that will better enhance your privacy. 548  However, apps, which can remove EXIF data, are available in the iOS App Store.  One such app includes Exif Data and the pro version costs $0.99/year. It enables you to view, edit, and remove metadata from your iOS devices like iPhone and iPad.  It also allows you to spoof a location of your choosing of where the photo was taken which will appear within the photo’s metadata.

Figure 7. Icon for Exif Metadata Apo

21.1.2 EXIF iOS photos on Apple Mac The following URL is extremely informative 549 :

 The easiest way to view EXIF data is on your Mac. Just transfer your photos to your Mac using iPhoto , tap on the image and select the i for info.  All the EXIF data, including a map of the GPS coordinates will appear within the iPhoto window.

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