BEWARE OF GPS DANGER IN YOUR PHOTOS

June 8, 2009 Sandy G.

From Komando.com

It’s great to be able to share photos online. But are you sharing more than just images?

Your photo files actually contain hidden information. This is called EXIF data. Most of it is pretty innocuous. It includes the date and time the photo was taken. The model and serial number of the camera are recorded. And depending on the camera, the settings you used may also be stored.

But many people geotag photos. This mates photos with GPS data. Each photo is tagged with the location it was taken. This lets you stick your vacation photos on a map. It’s pretty neat.

Some digital cameras and camera phones automatically geotag photos. Or, you can buy a separate GPS device. For some examples, check out this tip.

GPS information is stored in the EXIF data. The data goes with your photos when they’re uploaded to photo-sharing sites.

Photo navigation

Navigation companies have started looking at this data. Garmin’s nuvi 265T lets you download geotagged photos to the device. It will direct you to where the photo was taken.

That’s great for sight-seeing vacations. But could it be used by criminals?

Imagine uploading photos of your kids at school. Theoretically, predators could get those photos online. They would know what your kids look like. And they’d have precise directions to their school.

Need another scary scenario? Thieves could get directions to your house. And they’d know exactly what was worth taking.

Don’t panic

Don’t panic just yet. Photo navigation is still limited. It appears on a handful of devices from Garmin, Mio and Navman. And the Navman unit is hard to find in the United States.

Furthermore, these devices can’t pull from just any photo-sharing site. Mio and Navman devices use NavPix. And Garmin relies on Google’s Panoramio. It’s doubtful you use either. And they have strict guidelines that often exclude personal snapshots. They’re mostly for photos of landmarks and tourist attractions.

But manufacturers are looking to expand into more popular sites like Flickr. And you may have plenty of personal photos there.

What to do

The most important thing is to know exactly what is geotagged. Your trip to the Grand Canyon is probably fine. Your kids playing in the backyard probably shouldn’t be tagged.

Worrying about turning geotagging on and off is a little annoying. And it’s easy to forget. A better idea is to edit EXIF data on your computer. You can remove geotagging before uploading your photos.

Many photo-editing programs let you edit EXIF data. But finding the right tools can sometimes be hard. There are several programs that make it easy. Try EXIF-O-Matic, XnView or Irfanview. Or you can edit it right in Windows Explorer with Microsoft Photo Info.

You may need to go through your photo-sharing accounts. Pull down inappropriately tagged photos. Clean them, then upload them again. Also, be discriminating when uploading photos. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want the whole world seeing.

More tips on GPS:

• GPS units help with travel
• Using GPS to track the teens while driving
• Find GPS for your laptop

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND OTHER GREAT TIPS, PLEASE CHECK OUT KOMANDO.COM

***Please note:  I am not affiliated with Kim Komando or Komando.com in any way, nor am I receiving any compensation for this post.

 

~Sandy G.

 

Entry Filed under: CONSUMER INFORMATION,INFORMATION & TIPS,KIM KOMANDO

2 Comments

• 1. Digital Camera Guide  |  June 29, 2009 at 4:03 PM

  This is the information I looking for, thanks for sharing it

• 2. meena  |  June 30, 2009 at 3:38 AM

  Garmin Nuvi 265WT
  Garmin’s nüvi 265WT improves upon its 200-series predecessors by adding free real-time traffic updates from Navteq (for the life of the device) as well as Bluetooth connectivity to your cell phone. Other significant improvements in the 2×5 series include a predictive technology that provides faster satellite lock, a redesigned screen with more information, terrain maps, and an exciting new photo navigation feature. The 265WT provides complete maps for North America and the handy Text-to-Speech feature, so you get turn-by-turn spoken directions with the real names of streets (e.g. “turn left in 50 feet at Nebraska Way”, rather than merely “turn left in 50 feet”).