You may have noticed that I don’t post pictures. If not, now you know.

One of the reasons is that I’m worried about sharing meta data.

Does anyone know:

  1. Does the Lemmy software strip / hide meta data from photos when they’re uploaded?
  2. Is there a way of stripping meta data from photos?
  3. Does downloading an image from the internet and uploading it from my hard drive add any meta data?
  4. If I create a digital image, does it have meta data that could reveal my location, etc? (And then questions 1 and 2 for this option.)
  5. How should/could I keep my data/location safe if I choose to post either my photos, my scans, or pictures (either created by me or downloaded from the internet)?
  • @seasickEnglish
    10•10 months ago
    1. I think I’ve read a comment explaining that there is a setting for lemmy instance admins which en-/disables stripping metadata when images are uploaded
    2. Yes, but it strongly depends on your OS. For windows see https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-life-hacks/privacy-and-safety/how-to-remove-metadata-from-photos.
    3. Essentially no, but it might depend on your setup (i.e. exotic Browser Plugins, School PC with power tripping admin or whatnot)
    4. Depends on your setup, but I’d say no. You can look at the meta data (also called exif data) with the method explained in 2
    5. Since there are insane dedicated people who deduce locations from the tiniest spek of information (i.e. shadows and a clock), the safe bet would be not to post any photos 😅 But I’d say, remove the meta/exif data and you are probably fine
    • @[email protected]OPEnglish
      6•10 months ago

      Thanks for these answers. That’s reassuring.

      About #5 – I won’t be sending any tick pics! What do you take me for lol?

    • MinekPo1 [She/Her]English
      1•10 months ago

      Personally I like to remove all logos from pictures. I personally don’t try to hide my approximate location (ie city) I live in though. Just the security choice I made.