So you posted a few pictures of yourself on the Web not a big deal, right?
Actually, it could be. When you upload photos for display on the Internet, you could be transmitting confidential information about yourself to complete strangers.
Information like where you live, where you spend most of your time and when you are away from home. It all boils down to something called “geotagging.” Although this sounds like something from a science fiction movie, I can assure you its serious business.
Geotagging involves adding geographical identification “metadata” to various media such as photographs, video, websites and RSS feeds. Its the equivalent of adding a I am here sign to everything you post on the Internet.
It’s mindboggling to think that geotagging can supply the bad guys with personal information about your living habits.
Photographs are the most common security risk associated with geotagging. When the photo is taken, the image captures GPS information and the photo is immediately attached to a map.
This happens when you take a photo with a digital camera that has built-in GPS or with any cell phone that has GPS (which includes almost all smartphones).
Many people are unaware that the photos they take and upload to the Internet are geotagged. Even if you turn the function off on your camera and your phone and you should photos posted via third-party websites like Facebook, Flickr and Picasa can be tagged through those sites. Make sure you check the settings and un-check the geotagging or location feature.
With photos that are stored in JPEG file format, the geotag information is typically embedded in the metadata stored in Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) or Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP). This data is not visible in the picture itself but can be read by special programs and most digital cameras and modern scanners.
So, for example, if you take a picture of your vehicle parked outside your home and post it on TwitPic a popular photo uploader for Twitter the image could reveal to would-be thieves the exact geographical location of your house, what type of vehicle you own and what time you left your home.
With the growing popularity in social networking today, people need to be aware of this breach of privacy. There are certain situations in which exposing specific geographical location can be devastating. Since so many of our gadgets now have geotagging capability, it takes a little more effort on the user’s part to protect their privacy.
Let’s face it: with advancements in technology and all kinds of devices equipped with GPS, privacy and security aren’t what they used to be.
Leave a Reply