Bev Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 An acquaintance said that posted photos can actually be tracked to the GPS location they were taken at - is this true?! The more I learn, I realize the less I know. BluffCountryFossils.NET Fossil Adventure Blog Go to my Gallery for images of Fossil Jewelry, Sculpture & Crafts Pinned Posts: Beginner's Guide to Fossil Hunting * Geologic Formation Maps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 If those settings are enabled on a camera with that feature, then "yes". The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 If you don't want that info out in the open, saving the image as a new file in a photo-editing program should eliminate any metadata. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanNREMTP Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Yes it's true but there are variables. I have that feature on my phone and have it turned on. It does come in handy. A downside to it is if the picture is taken before the GPS has a chance to link up and get accurate information. Since I do so much driving from place to place for work I have taken a picture immediately when we get to a location only to find the GPS still showed us at another location. It does come in handy for certain things. For example you see a potential outcropping for fossils. Snap a photo and use the GPS to remember exactly where it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 It is not difficult to remove the metadata from images before posting on the internet, and I recommend this always be done. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bev Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 WOW! And I thought it was the ravings of a paranoid! Oh my gosh, it is like science fiction! So, on those fancy internet telephones (Don't have one and can't figure them out.) if a person takes a picture and, say, posts it on facebook or wherever, someone who knew about those things could know exactly where the picture was taken, right? BUT on my little Nikon Coolpix that doesn't have GPS I don't have to worry, right? AND because any photo I post first goes through Paint and is resized and relabeled, that is another layer of protection, right? The world is just going way too fast for me! The more I learn, I realize the less I know. BluffCountryFossils.NET Fossil Adventure Blog Go to my Gallery for images of Fossil Jewelry, Sculpture & Crafts Pinned Posts: Beginner's Guide to Fossil Hunting * Geologic Formation Maps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John K Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 (edited) Bev, even your coolpix will attach meta data to the photo: shutter speed, aperture settings, ISO and the like get's saved with the image file automatically; it used to be some cameras would "burn" the date onto each negative - a primative form of metadata. Now, since everything digital is a computer file full of code, it's easy to write anything into the file, sort it and display it later. You are correct, though, that your camera won't add GPS stuff because it isn't equipped with that capability. And you are also correct in that if you'll loose the metadata that is initially collected or added to the original once it is edit and saved out as a new file. As a quick test, I saved this image of our yard off my ShutYerFaceBook page (taken with a GPS equipped Android phone) onto my desktop: I then opened it in Photoshop (CS6) and took a look at the image settings - nothing but today's date is logged in any of the settings, where I'd expect to see any kind of image data or GPS info stored. So while my experiment above is anecdotal at best, I still wouldn't worry too much about it Edited August 5, 2014 by John K 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roanoker Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 What a gorgeous yard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bev Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 Lovely John K!!! And wonderfully informative. We must have similar tastes in gardening. Here is a pic of my front yard next to the driveway and the street. A cottage garden. Thought you might enjoy it... Besides the vegetable gardens I probably have an acre of flowers spread throughout the property. The more I learn, I realize the less I know. BluffCountryFossils.NET Fossil Adventure Blog Go to my Gallery for images of Fossil Jewelry, Sculpture & Crafts Pinned Posts: Beginner's Guide to Fossil Hunting * Geologic Formation Maps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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