Geotagging:  What is it and how does it work?

Detailed information is embedded inmost computer files and it is usually not readily seen.  A device, such as a computer or phone, uses this data to provide processing information that includes the software version used to create the document, how the file is encoded, the individual who created the file, and where the file was created. 

There is an extensive amount of available metadata and this opens the door to possible risk for individuals, families and organizations.  Information sharing that includes ISO,aperture, processing software and location, can lead to innocently sharing too much information that may be better to remain private.

The metadata in images is often retained (by default) by desktop imaging software and many online photo storage websites that include:

• Flickr
• Facebook
• Imgur

This information is often used by the photographer, as well as website providers, for demographic information and other file details.

Geotagging is about location

Any smartphone manufactured after 2005 is required by law to contain a GPS locator.  As a result of this requirement, the storage of location-based data, in the form of Latitude and Longitude inside of images, is called Geotagging and has become common with smartphones. This is essentially tagging your photograph with the geographic location where it was originally taken. This data is stored inside of the metadata of JPEG and other image file types and can be used for tying the photograph to a location.

Why is this helpful?

If you want to remember exactly where a photo was taken, this could be a great advantage.

Why is this dangerous?

Because of the requirement in 2005 for all smartphone to contain a GPS locator, the cameras in these devices are equipped with the specialized hardware to automatically add geolocation information to the pictures when they are taken.

There are several reasons why most individuals don't know that automatic geotagging occurs on their smartphones:

1. In some cases it can be enabled by default
2. It was not mentioned as an option, or
3. If it was mentioned to the user – often times the user selects OK to dismiss a message before reading what was being presented.  

When snapping photos with their smartphones and posting them online, Individuals can unknowingly share too much detailed information about their location. 

This leads to a valid concern with social sites like Facebook.Individuals like to post family photos and many photos feature young children.There is always the possibility of child predators either locating or spotting trends in favorite ‘hang out’ spots. Unless you need to know the exact location of where a photo was taken, it might be best to disable this geotagging feature in your smartphone.

How do I disable this feature?

The easiest way to stop posting this information is to disable geotagging on your smartphone.

iPhone To see your location based settings, go to Settings, General, then Location Services. From there you can set which applications can access your GPS coordinates or disable them completely.

Google Android For android based phones there are two approaches to turn off geotagging. To completely disable your GPS location for all applications, press the Menu Key and then Settings; then press Location and Security - Android Location Security By default, GPS is on. “Uncheck” it to turn it off. This willbreak location based information for all applications. In order to disable it for just the cameraapplication, start the Camera app to make sure that you are not saving yourlocation. In the camera application settings select "Store Location"and make sure it is set to Off.