Interesting info about .jpg files!!

[golden_labels]

And how do you determine, who at the moment reads the file? And how do you modify the file they have to present garbage to some and non-garbage to others? We do not have self-modifying files that automatically connect to brains and check what are person’s motives. If you put invalid information into the metadata, it is there for everyone, presented to any person indiscriminately.

[SilverSolder]

And how do you determine, who at the moment reads the file?

You don't.  So either you trust the entity you send the file to...  or you don't.

And how do you modify the file they have to present garbage to some and non-garbage to others?

You don't.  If you don't trust the entity and send garbage, there is no way to undo it - and vice versa.


I am not sure I am understanding the point you are making...    If I send something to you, and I trust you, why would I put garbage information in the jpeg tags?  -  conversely, if I distrust you (possibly as a result of knowing what you are up to), why would I voluntarily send you information that is useful to you but harms me?

[golden_labels]

Why would you send photos specifically to someone you do not trust? My perspective is that we’re talking about EXIF metadata being scraped by third parties from published or transmitted photos, as this is the usual situation.

[SilverSolder]

Why would you send photos specifically to someone you do not trust? My perspective is that we’re talking about EXIF metadata being scraped by third parties from published or transmitted photos, as this is the usual situation.

The world isn't black and white.

Let's say you upload a photo to Facebook to share with your family.  You trust your family...  but you don't trust Facebook.   But, since everyone uses FB, you are kind of stuck with it.

[Berni]

Once you post something on any website the file is out there for anyone in the world to access, so you don't have control over who you "give it to" anymore.

So if you don't want everyone to internet to know the exact GPS coordinates of your house then you simply remove that information from the JPEG tags. Your friends already know where you live so they don't need it (Nor likely have the technical knowledge to know the data is even there or how to see it). While uploading such a photo to google maps it is useful to have the GPS information in there because the photo just magically pops up in the right place. Keeping GPS data in vacation photos might also be nice so that you can plot your vacation trip on a map and give the photo album more worth for when you flip trough it 30 years later and forget where that photo was taken.

Tho most other informationin JPEGs is much more innocent since its stuff like camera shutter speed, iso, whitebalance, datetime (in case the files date time gets lost trough copying and moving around). About the most personal piece of info in there is that it typically contains the phone/cameras model number. Admittedly this stuff is rarely ever useful, but it doesn't really hurt to leave it in.

[golden_labels]

The world isn't black and white.

Indeed. Yet my impression is that you draw it as black only and then trying to make exceptions for when you are in white environment.

Let's say you upload a photo to Facebook to share with your family.  You trust your family...  but you don't trust Facebook.   But, since everyone uses FB, you are kind of stuck with it.

Exactly. So you have shared the very same files with both groups: your family and Facebook. If you introduce malicious EXIF metadata, you are also doing that to your family.

[SilverSolder]

The world isn't black and white.

Indeed. Yet my impression is that you draw it as black only and then trying to make exceptions for when you are in white environment.

Let's say you upload a photo to Facebook to share with your family.  You trust your family...  but you don't trust Facebook.   But, since everyone uses FB, you are kind of stuck with it.

Exactly. So you have shared the very same files with both groups: your family and Facebook. If you introduce malicious EXIF metadata, you are also doing that to your family.

You are assuming my family cares about the metadata as much as Facebook...   I don't think they do!

[SarahSimm]

wow, that's something new for me

thanks!