Concern over GPS on Cameras

Now cameras have GPS available
I do not think this is a good idea

You take pics of your garden or kids birthday parties, thats OK then, until one gets out, then everyone who wishes to know knows where you live

Then you post on here a couple of pics whilst you are abroad on holiday

Now I do not mean GC but the internet in general/facebook/twitter

Billy the burglar. sees Jack from 198193 is in Capetown for two weeks in July

Not a good security policy is it ?

Jack McH

 

Mobile phones have had cameras and GPS for years now.

Doesn't mean the coordinates will automatically be saved with the pictures though. Of course its a bit different when someone takes a photo on their mobile and then immediately, via their mobile, uploads that picture to Facebook. Then all their friends see a pic from Jack, near Fife, so everyone knows where you were when you posted.

 

Ah yes but the co ordinates are available to anyone, using software
The problem is pix taken say in the home at Crimbo, so that is your home co ordinates and your full address
Then you tell everyone you know of your great holiday in July a world cruise or a week in Spain in June

So it is a security issue unless you disable GPS INFO

Jack McH

 

GPS on phones and camera's isn't that exact Jack for instance mine will only pin-point me to a location in something like 100m at the best of times so it will in the majority only pin you down to a street, however if you then upload that photo to a facebook account where you add anyone and everyone then your asking for problems

the other problem comes when you get people taking pictures of rare animals and plants with gps coordinates!

 

Using Windows Explorer right mouse click on image file and select 'Properties' then 'Details', then click on 'Remove Properies and Personal Information' and select the 'Remove the following properties from this file' button then select the exif data you want to remove. You can select multiple images, or even the contents of an entire folder and perform this operation on them simultaneously. So you can then create a seperate folder containing re-sized images for uploading to the web that have been purged of all personal details.

 

Surely the best way to stop the GPS thing is to switch it off in the camera from the start as with the GPS facility running it drains the battery quicker anyway.We did that on my small new Panasonic Lumix camera Mr Kandy bought me to replace my old small pocket camera as we found the GPS didn't give the exact location anyway of where the photo was taken and we at first couldn't undersatnd why the battery was draining fast

We don't have any of those new fangled expensive smart phones anyway so wouldn't know that they have GPS on them.

The best way to stop people knowing where you live or where or when you are on your hols is to not tell anyone on forums/Facebook etc this info or not use a computer full stop and then you won't be giving anything away...you hope

 

Well I'll eat my hat now.

I never activity the GPS feature on my phone except on the rare occasions when I want to use it as a satnav. Yet I've just checked the properties of one of my photos and lo and behold, there it is, the GPS coordinates.

 

Does that method in my post #5 above get rid of the GPS info? (because I don't have a camera with GPS to check it out, not that I want one because I'm a Luddite and dread the day when all cameras will have GPS and only touch screen controls).

 

Didn't work unfortunately. Looked like it was going to but the computer sez no.

 

So perhaps a free downloadable exif data editor then?

 

Only quickly scanned this thread. I think you turn off the gps data in the cameras settings menu?? Not sure if this has been mentioned.

 

You need to select the lower button to enable the scroll bar and select individual items to remove.

 

Checked an image from my phone and no GPS data showing viewing Details with File Explorer, nor when using an Exif Data viewer, which shows a load more stuff, but still no GPS co-ordinates.

Oddly, although I can select both the upper button (remove all details) and lower button (and scroll down viewing/selecting individual items of info) from a camera taken image, with the one taken on a phone all I could select was lower button: