Security regarding uploading photo's, please read.

[sirch345]

When posting photo's on this site, if you are using a device to take your photo's that has GPS (Global Positioning System), it appears you need to make sure GPS is turned off before taking the photo. Otherwise if you upload the original photo without resizing it first (which you should really) it appears you load a photo with address information with it, on where it was taken. So if you took that photo from your home, anyone (you don't even need to be a member here) can access that information which tells them where your bike is.

I have come across two members who have done this very recently (their photo's have been rectified now) who didn't even realise what they had done, so I thought I best mention it. I only really found this out by accident.

Thanks for reading,

Cheers,

Chris.

[VTRDark]

Ha ha why do you think they invented products with GPS. It's not for out benifit

Good shout Chris. This is nothing new but with the increase of GPS enabled devices and a society built on tracking and monitoring everything we do for security purposes....ironic isn't it. It's good practise to remove any Meta Exif data from any images before uploading to the web anywhere. Better still don't buy into the products that contain spyware in the form of a trojan marketed to us as something useful and for our benfit or if you do, at least be tech savvy enough to be aware of it and how to get around /disable it.

Trasformers....Robots in Disguise.......

3 Ways To Remove EXIF MetaData From Photos (And Why You Might Want To)

How to Remove EXIF Metadata From Photos

Remove Location Data From Your Photos Before Sharing Them



As well as the thief down the road and your insurance company along with many others. Your partner and kids tracking where you are is the least of your problems.

4 things you probably don’t know about GPS

[sirch345]

Thanks Carl for your follow up post with the links

Chris.

[alanfjones1411]

Or just turn the airplane mode on when taking photos.

[mags@port]

Does that work?, would it not update the photos as soon as you switch off airplane mode?.

[alanfjones1411]

Does that work?, would it not update the photos as soon as you switch off airplane mode?.

Don't know.I googled how to turn gps off on my phone and that came up as an alternative. ?????

[Swampy]

I guess we have to take a bit of responsibility for this as comsumers. I guess if you squint hard enough it could be seen as consumer driven, constant road conditions updates, even feedback we check or provide.

Didn't have a phone once

[Rusco_9]

You can go into the app you use to take Photos and remove the location permission.

So for me on Android...

Settings, Apps, camera and permissions

I wouldn't know on Apple sorry but I would have thought it might be similar or more secure anyhow..

[rollingthunderx2]

Just turn off GPS.
No need for paranoia to take over your life.

[acrmnsm]

I have this turned off, but it is also worth thinking about identifying features on your property too.
I bought some boat stuff the other day and I had already worked out the sellers address from the fact they lived in Paignton, OK he had given postcode in the advert, but then it was dead easy to just google street view in that postcode until I found the house where the pics had been taken outside.