XF 1.2 Disable Exif Data on uploads?

[OakleyForum]

Hey, I was just wondering if there was a way to disable Exif data for images/attachments that users uploads. It seems to be a very worrisome privacy concern if you can simply download an image and see exactly where it was taken.

 

[HWS]

If the picture has to be resized, EXIF is deleted automatically. There also is an add-on that strips geolocation data from any uploaded picture. Which should always be done to protect your users privacy and security.

 

[DragonFlames]

Exif data is great if you want to know more about a photo and how it was taken. Also if it has GPS info it can be added to a member map of photos and other such things as add ons appear to do that.

My personal view is that when someone takes a photo they decide whether to take it with or without GPS info, and when they upload it they again choose whether to upload it as it is or whether to strip location info out of it first.

If someone kept taking info out of my photos, or changing them in other ways, I would personally be annoyed and might go somewhere less likely to mess with my stuff. I might also wonder how they thought they could alter my photos and create different versions of them without my info in them if it was my property/copyright and all that info was in there to help protect that.

Just some alternative thoughts..

Steve

 

[HWS]

Exif data is great if you want to know more about a photo and how it was taken. Also if it has GPS info it can be added to a member map of photos and other such things as add ons appear to do that.

My personal view is that when someone takes a photo they decide whether to take it with or without GPS info, and when they upload it they again choose whether to upload it as it is or whether to strip location info out of it first.

If someone kept taking info out of my photos, or changing them in other ways, I would personally be annoyed and might go somewhere less likely to mess with my stuff. I might also wonder how they thought they could alter my photos and create different versions of them without my info in them if it was my property/copyright and all that info was in there to help protect that.

Just some alternative thoughts..

Steve

This is only true, if you put a large notice to picture upload notifying your users to manually delete the geo data before uploading. Because most people in regular forums (not photo forums) would like that for sure.

And you know: In a perfect world…. ;-)

 

[OakleyForum]

If the picture has to be resized, EXIF is deleted automatically. There also is an add-on that strips geolocation data from any uploaded picture. Which should always be done to protect your users privacy and security.

Do you know which add-on? I am very interested in it.

 

[DragonFlames]

This is only true, if you put a large notice to picture upload notifying your users to manually delete the geo data before uploading. Because most people in regular forums (not photo forums) would like that for sure.

I think forum users are much less stupid than some folks think. Most choose to have their GPS info system turned on or off in their camera knowing exactly what that means.

Quality online photo systems often let their users see their photos on a map. Likewise the software that comes with many modern cameras does that.

Having the GPS system on and the info recorded in their pictures will lessen the life of their battery greatly on most cameras, and it is a very deliberate decision for most people.

You taking out the info a copyright owner places in their images and then saving a new version of the image with only info you want in it sounds a little dodgy... and if someone's photo is then used by others because you stripped out their identifying EXIF info you must be responsible for your actions/decision to do that and to distribute an altered copy of their photo I'm sure you agree.

Most folks take photos of things they see, and it is not a great surprise to see a photo of something shows up on a map at the location where that object/place is to be found.

It seems deadly simple to locate most people these days, and every email they send and their IP address and so on tends to be locating their actual home rather than where they were taking photos on holiday or whatever.

Any systems for uploads should have on off switches anyway... so forums that want to alter peoples images can do it and forums who want to not infringe their copyright in any way can work that way.

Just my thoughts on it.

Steve