Every photo your phone takes can carry hidden metadata, called EXIF: the exact GPS location, the date and time, and your device model. Share the original file and you may be handing over where you live, work, or were standing. Big social platforms usually strip this on upload, but photos you send directly, by email, a marketplace listing, a forum, or a shared file, often keep it. Here's how to scrub it.
1. See what's there (1 min)
iPhone: open a photo and tap the info (i) button. If it shows a map, the location is embedded.
Android (Google Photos): open a photo, tap the info (i) button to see location and camera details.
Desktop: right-click the file, then Properties > Details (Windows) or Get Info (Mac).
2. Remove location on your phone
iPhone: select the photo(s), tap Share, tap "Options" at the top, and turn off Location. Save or send from there.
Android (Google Photos): open the photo, tap the info button, then "Remove location."
3. Strip everything on a computer
Windows: right-click the file > Properties > Details > "Remove Properties and Personal Information."
Mac: drop the photo onto the free ImageOptim app, which strips all the metadata in one step.
Android: install the free, open-source Scrambled Exif, then "share" a photo to it to strip the data.
4. Don't count on platforms to do it
Most large social networks strip EXIF automatically, but many places don't: marketplace listings, forums, personal sites, and files you send by email or cloud link. When it matters, strip it yourself first.
5. AI images carry their own tags
AI generators can embed provenance data, and as we saw this week, hidden user IDs. If that matters to you, generate with local open-source tools and clear the file's metadata before sharing.
Quick tip
Stop it at the source: turn off location for your Camera app (iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera > Never), and new photos won't store GPS at all.
Up next · Monday
The week's most important privacy story, in plain English: what happened, why it matters, and what to do about it.