Metadata in Photographs — Privacy concern or useful information?
When taking a photograph, the photographer usually intends to capture a moment, scene, object or person. In addition to the visual content the photograph captures a lot more. This information is called metadata. Metadata consist of information as which camera was used, its settings, date, time, photo size and sometimes even the location in which the photo was taken. In addition, the photographer can add all kinds of information to the photograph, mostly image copyrights and keywords such as the event and people in the photo. This information is usually used to easily sort and manage large amounts of photographs. All the saved metadata can’t be seen only by looking at the picture, but it is still available for everyone with the picture. In short, a photograph’s data is formed by the visual data, meaning what you see when looking at the picture and metadata. Why is it important to know about metadata? By uploading a picture to the web you might unintentionally share personal information about yourself or others.
Some social media platforms such as Facebook remove metadata when uploading images. But this doesn’t mean the photos can’t contain personal data. Facebook suggests tagging people meaning they have their own algorithms to recognize faces and connect them to people. Almost everyone knows the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”, even though removing metadata there is visual data in the picture, for example location, people, season and emotions which can be used to make assumptions about you or others. This makes the visual information also metadata, so removing original metadata only helps partially. By uploading one picture with or without metadata you share a certain amount of your information and adding a second picture adds more information which can either confirm or cancel assumptions made about you from the first picture, making 1 + 1 information more than 2. Rarely people only share one picture during their lifetime. So, what happens when you share an entire album worth of photos? Your social life, place of residence and habits can be mapped from the pictures creating an overview of who you are, what you do and who you know. Furthermore, the same can be done to some extent for people in the photos. This is a privacy and safety issue and once the information is shared it is impossible to completely erase.
While metadata contains information about the photographic moment it also contains data about the camera and its properties which leave a unique imprint. This way photograph’s metadata can also be used in image forensics. Professionals can define image authenticity and examine the photograph in cases where a photograph has possibly been modified to demonstrate something that has not actually happened, doesn’t exist or modifies the truth. Metadata can also be useful when examining illegal photos and trying to find criminals selling stolen goods online. However, metadata does not represent an unambiguous truth because it can also be tampered with. An Image’s changed metadata isn’t necessarily easy to detect, and this way some information cannot be fully trusted.
The most important thing about metadata in photographs is to acknowledge its existence and the amount of information it incorporates. Like any data it can be used in unethical ways but can also demonstrate the truth. For everyone downloading images online or being tagged in photos, it is important to remember that it always provides information about your life and in worst cases the information can be used to commit crimes against you. Keep in mind you could be located and framed, and the small amounts of information could be really helpful to someone with no good intentions. In conclusion, a photograph contains more information that can be seen, and several pictures can illustrate multiple lives. Be aware of what you share of yourself and other people.
