PRIVACY ALERT: Cell phone pictures can tell the world exactly where you live!

[frankfrank]

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7621105

If you value your privacy, be careful of those pictures you take with YOUR CELL PHONE, or with any other GPS-enhanced device. It appears that in some (ALL?) cases, the software embeds the precise location where the picture was taken. Therefore, if you're sensitive about your location, posting a picture from your hand-held may give away exactly where you live.

I don't know whether those features remain intact when a picture from a GPS-ready device is uploaded to a site like JUB or not, but I think this needs to be looked at. Until somebody sent me this link today, I'd never heard anything about this before.

 

[jackoroe]

Re: PRIVACY ALERT: Cell phone pictures may imbed your precise location

You're right Frank. I just got a new Iphone a few weeks back. It asks if you want your location with your pictures. So you can disable that feature.

 

[frankfrank]

Re: PRIVACY ALERT: Cell phone pictures may imbed your precise location

^ Thanks for the comment Jack...do you think the thread title should be changed to something like "PRIVACY ALERT: Cell phone pictures can tell the world exactly where you live"???

This is one of those cases where the title probably NEEDS to be shocking and sensational...

 

[Paws]

Re: PRIVACY ALERT: Cell phone pictures may imbed your precise location

This security flaw was already abused by malicious people on a website that I don't want to mention now.

Some websites process the uploaded pictures and delete the EXIF-data. For Firefox there's an add-on to check that data on images.

 

[SilverWolf]

Re: PRIVACY ALERT: Cell phone pictures may imbed your precise location

If you want to disable this feature for your Iphone, you can go to settings, general, Location Services, and turn off the option for the camera.

There should be something similar for all cell phones that have this feature.

 

[RonR18]

Re: PRIVACY ALERT: Cell phone pictures may imbed your precise location

If you want to disable this feature for your Iphone, you can go to settings, general, Location Services, and turn off the option for the camera.

There should be something similar for all cell phones that have this feature.

I smell a class action lawsuit for the manufacturers failing to make this the default setting.

 

[RonR18]

Half of my pictures usually identify where I am based on the landmarks alone. New York is too well known to get all shy now.

Narrowing down the part of the city you live in is not the issue, frankfrank is referring to someone being able to pinpoint your residence within a radius of about 15 feet.

 

[altlover85]

Narrowing down the part of the city you live in is not the issue, frankfrank is referring to someone being able to pinpoint your residence.

Would it give it away only if you were at your house or no matter where you were when you took the picture?

I'm a little unclear.

 

[RonR18]

Would it give it away only if you were at your house or no matter where you were when you took the picture?

I'm a little unclear.

It records whatever location you're at when you take a picture within a radius of about 15 feet, and includes this data in that particular picture.

 

[frankfrank]

Would it give it away only if you were at your house or no matter where you were when you took the picture?

I'm a little unclear.

I'm pretty sure that it gives away the GPS location where the picture was taken, so it will pinpoint your residence if you take pictures at home.

The TV video also gave an example of pinpointing the exact location of pictures you may have taken on a Lake Tahoe vacation.

[EDIT: (^ @ NaughtyArousal) I doubt it would be possible for anything to embed latitude and longitude coordinates, unless there's a GPS instrument of some sort inside the device.]

 

[altlover85]

It's never occurred to me when I send a photo that it wouldn't give hints to my location because the vast majority of what I like photographing are actual locations. Street photography, etc. It's just very whatever to me. I could be easily stalkable. Maybe I just don't see myself as worth stalking...?

I think it's also a generational thing. I've heard younger people tend to value privacy less and it makes sense when you think about stuff like facebook and twitter and the way that media (especially pictures and videos) are easily made and now integrated into our lives.

Thanks for answering my question guys.

To me, it's not the end of the world, but I don't tend to take that many pictures at home or at my boyfriend's home, even when I intend to.

 

[RonR18]

Re: PRIVACY ALERT: Cell phone pictures may imbed your precise location

I smell a class action lawsuit for the manufacturers failing to make this the default setting.

Especially since shy teenagers posting anonymous, headless nude photos of themselves on the Internet obviously don't want to be identified, and they certainly don't want pervs to be able to track them down to their house!

 

[frankfrank]

I assume this information is embedded in home movies and "videocams" that people may take with these devices, as well?

Be careful.

 

[Esquire0399]

It's called geotagging. In a lot of cases it's considered to be a "feature."

 

[RonR18]

I assume this information is embedded in home movies and "videocams" that people may take with these devices, as well?

Be careful.

Definitely, as long as the device has the geotag feature.

 

[Beachguyj]

Good thing I don't have a cell phone cam. I've seen a site where people get vicious and post people's addresses and any other personal info they can get. One guy even got another guy fired from his job from the story I heard.

 

[MTLDude]

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7621105

If you value your privacy, be careful of those pictures you take with YOUR CELL PHONE, or with any other GPS-enhanced device. It appears that in some (ALL?) cases, the software embeds the precise location where the picture was taken. Therefore, if you're sensitive about your location, posting a picture from your hand-held may give away exactly where you live.

I don't know whether those features remain intact when a picture from a GPS-ready device is uploaded to a site like JUB or not, but I think this needs to be looked at. Until somebody sent me this link today, I'd never heard anything about this before.

I don't know about JUB, but I once uploaded a pic on Wikipedia, and A LOT of information were uploaded as well, like the make and model of my camera, and its settings, (I don't have GPS on my antique digital camera), but I uploaded it in raw (as in untreated) format, so I don't know if a little detour by Photoshop would have erased the info...

 

[star-warrior]

A few years back, a number of jubbers posted pictures of views from their windows, and mentioned in passing their city, but no other clues. I was able to pin point within a street or so the building the picture was taken just from the landmarks present within the photos using line of site, and google maps.

If you value your home location privacy, don't post pics taken out of your window with prominent landmark features.

 

[Corny]

this is what happens when people use technology but don't bother enough to inform themselves about the technology that they are using.

btw .. JUB deletes this data if it resizes or recompresses images that you upload.

 

[Jayden]

Spooky . . . .