Remove EXIF Data From Your Photos

Did you know that most digital 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?

Metadata connected to photos is stored in a format called "Exchangeable Image File Format" or EXIF. EXIF metadata might include:

• Latitude and longitude coordinates for the location where the photo was taken,
• Camera settings like ISO speed, shutter speed, focal length, aperture, white balance, and lens type.
• The make and model of the camera.
• The date and time the photo was taken.
• The name and build of all programs used to view or edit the photo.

EXIF data can be used by malicious users to inconvenience you at best or harm you at worst. A good example of this danger is seen in the disclosure of John McAfee's location in 2012 when a photo of Mr. McAfee and VICE’s editor-in-chief Rocco Castoro was posted on-line with EXIF data containing among other things, the GPS latitude and longitude co-ordinates of where it was taken. 

Of course you don't have to be on the run from the law to be concerned about EXIF data in your photos. If you post a photograph of yourself standing by your home, EXIF data can reveal your address.

Windows has a built-in method for clearing EXIF data. Simply right-click on your photo, select Properties, then go to the Details tab. At the bottom of this tab click on Remove Properties and Personal Information to open the EXIF removal tool. The tool lets you either create a copy of the image with all metadata removed or pick and choose which properties to erase from the selected file.

Windows 10's metadata-removal tool isn't perfect, and it may not be able to remove all the personal information from your photos.

If you run into issues removing metadata with Windows, you'll need to try a third-party tool such as EXIF Purge. EXIF Purge is a small portable application to remove EXIF meta data from multiple images at once. Be sure to test any tool that use to remove EXIF data from your photos to be sure that it completely removes any data you don't want to share with the world.