Do you know what else you are posting every time you put a picture online or in a message?

Your online pictures expose you to more than just what appears in the photo.  Almost all of today’s digital cameras and all smart phone cameras that we all use on a frequent basis actually contain more than just the photo that we can all see. Each of these pictures also contains “Meta Data”. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Metadata (metacontent) are defined as the data providing information about one or more aspects of the data, such as:

• Means of creation of the data
• Purpose of the data
• Time and date of creation
• Creator or author of the data
• Location on a computer network where the data were created
• Standards used
• Exact GPS location where photo was taken

So you may be saying so how does this affect me? Well it may or may not depend upon your actions. With this in mind knowing that a picture you post of yourself or others stating or suggesting that you are in one place when in reality you are not can be discovered by looking at the metadata. Even something as simple as posting pictures of your vacation or other trip while you are actually away from your home can often have negative consequences.

Posting a picture on the 21^st of June of your vacation or trip to the mall that has Meta data that shows the same date time and location of your trip lets those who would do you harm know for a fact that you are not home. With this knowledge it is now safe to rob your house.

The lesson here in protecting your privacy and security is to think mindfully before you ever post a picture online or send a picture via any digital means.

Brad Boynton