Unfortunately, Vice failed to scrub the photo’s EXIF data before publication. In a snarkily titled article “ We Are with John Mcafee’s Right Now, Suckers,” journalist Rocco Castoro published an image of himself with the fugitive billionaire. McAfee, however, claimed to have already fled the country – putting him safely out of the reach of local law enforcement.ĭuring his escape, reporters with Vice joined McAfee’s entourage. In 2012, Guatemalan authorities wanted to interrogate the tech billionaire for the murder of his neighbor. On numerous occasions, GPS coordinates embedded in EXIF data have compromised the safety or embarrassed individuals that failed to clear this information appropriately.įor instance, take a famous example from John McAfee. A threat actor could use the GPS coordinates embedded in the EXIF data to determine their home address. It’s not difficult to imagine how this could jeopardize a principal’s safety.įor instance, say a photo is taken inside an executive’s personal residence. And this information is often available to anyone that can access the image. In addition to camera settings, EXIF data also records the GPS coordinates of where a photo was taken. And in many cases, a lot more personal information than most people know they’re sharing. Why is EXIF Data Important for Executive Protection?ĮXIF data contains a swath of personal information. That makes it easier for photographers to share information, such as tools and camera settings, that may have been used to create a particular image.Ĭomputers also use EXIF data to organize and search through photos. Such a cumbersome process represented the only way for beginners to figure out why an image may have turned out wrong.ĮXIF data automates this process.
#CHROME EXIF DATA VIEWER ISO#
This data includes settings relevant to photographers, such as ISO speed, aperture, camera model, focal length, and white balance.īefore digital cameras, photographers recorded these details by hand. Simply put, Exchangeable Image File Format, or EXIF, is a standard for information related to an image or video captured by a camera. Here’s the thing: external parties can access this EXIF data, too. And in some cases, such information could compromise the safety of your principal.īut what is EXIF data? And why is it relevant for executive protection? Let’s dive in. It’s called EXIF data.Īnd this information travels everywhere with your photo - from your device to your hard drive and everywhere the image is published or sent.
Images posted online can reveal a lot more than you might think.Įvery time you snap a photo, your smartphone or digital camera records a wealth of information: the type of camera used, settings the photographer selected, when and where the photo was taken.