Why you might not wanna share photos online so easily

How do you read metadata? #

If you are a linux user. It is quite easy. If you aren’t it’s ok. I mentioned a website that is free and easy to do extract metadata. For Linux users, all you need is a tool call libimage-exiftool-perl. If you don’t have it on your machaine, you can install it by

$ sudo apt install libimage-exiftool-perl

After installation, you can start using the tool with the command exiftool. I will use a photo of me during a hiking trip in Kachin State, Myanmar.

First, you need to navigate to the folder where you keep the photo. Then, use the command with the name of the photo file.

$ exiftool {name of the file}

The output of the exiftool command #

After executing the command, you will see a bunch of information such as color data, date of taking the photo, shutter speed, exposure etc. In the image below, I’ve highlighted the Camera Model Name and Create Date.

The juicy part (GPS location) 😆 #

At the very end, you will see the GPS location in longitude and latitude. If you convert them into decimal format, you can use the output in google map. The is one of the steps that law enforcement use to track criminals 😄.

What if I don’t use Linux? Is there another way to read metadata? #

If you don’t use Linux, there are some websites that can do the same thing for free. There is one call Jimple. It is very simple to use (drag and drop) and it even shows the location in Google Maps so you don’t even have to convert the GPS location to decimal form 😉.

I used the same photo putao.jpg on Jimpl website. The result are:

It also show the location in Google Maps as I mentioned before. The map is pinning at the Northern tip of Myanmar in Kachin State. Very convenient.

My friend took that photo in the middle of a jungle. Our phones did not have access to mobile internet or Wifi. And yet, the metadata has the correct coordinates. It’s amazing how technology can track us 😱!

The photo I used for the example #

I didn’t reach to the top of Khakaborzi due to weather condition. And, was stuck in a small town name “Putao”. One interesting fact about Putao is there were no theives. When it’s time for the local market to close, the shopkeepers just leave their shop without locking the doors.