Your Photos Are Probably Giving Away Your Location. Here’s How to Stop That

All your snaps come with metadata containing more information than you might realize.
Image may contain Art Collage City Person Walking Adult Road Urban Car Transportation Vehicle and Bag
Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty Images

Take a photo on any digital camera or smartphone and it's not just the pixels that are saved. The image also gets a bunch of metadata appended to it, also known as EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) data, including details of when it was taken, the device that was used to capture it, and the camera settings that were used.

You’ve read your last free article.
Subscription Offer
The intersection of technology, power, and culture. Start your free trial and get access to 5 all-new premium newsletters.
START FREE TRIAL
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Get WIRED. START FREE TRIAL