We review hundreds of profiles daily and have noticed that many have one or more photos with GPS or geotagging information embedded within the file. That’s probably not a good idea since it makes the location where the photo was taken available to anyone who can view the photo. If the photo was taken in your home, you may have unwittingly revealed your home address to the public. Let’s use this photo as an example:
If you click on the following link you can see all that is available from the photo itself: Metadata
I know it’s scary, but don’t panic, there are things you can do to avoid this. First, you have to deal with existing photos and next you should think about how to deal with photos you will take in the future using either your smart phone or a GPS enabled camera.
Removing GPS Info from Existing Photos
Your existing photos may be on your smart phone, tablet or computer and there are different ways of handling them depending on the device they’re on:
iPhone or iPad
There are several apps available in the App Store, we don’t recommend one over the other, but Metadata Cut is one to look at.
Android Phone or Table
There are also several apps in the Google Play Store and we don’t recommend one over the other, but Photo Editor is one to look at.
Computers
Whether you use a PC or Mac there are many apps available that will easily remove GPS data from your photos. If you use any of the Adobe photo editing programs, such as Lightroom or Photoshop, they can be used for this without the necessity of another program or app.
Preventing GPS Info from Being Embedded in New Photos
The best way to avoid this issue in the future is to turn off geotagging on your smart phone. Here’s how to accomplish this:
iPhone or iPad
- Tap the “Settings” icon from your iPhone’s home screen
- Tap the “Privacy” menu
- Choose “Location Services” from the top of the screen
- Look for the “Camera” setting and change it from the “ON” position to the “OFF” position
Android Phone or Tablet
The process for disabling this feature depends on the camera app of the manufacturer of your phone or tablet. So there is no exact answer to this question, however, the process is very similar.
On most Android phones and tablets, you can just open camera app and tap on “Settings”. From the “Settings”, scroll down until you see the option “Geo tags” (or similar option) and disable it. There is also a chance you may see a particular icon instead of “Geo tags” options.
Assuming this is of concern to you, we suggest that you delete any photos currently in your Model Mayhem portfolio that contain geotagging information. Photos taken in your residence or other locations you wouldn’t want shared should get your immediate attention and it is something to seriously consider as soon as you are able. Once you’ve removed the geotagging information, feel free to upload the same photos again.
And, remember if you ever have any questions, comments or concerns you can always click on the “Help” link at the top of every page. There’s lots of information there and you’ll also be able to Contact A Mod if you need more assistance.
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This article was written by Metro Glamour Studio for Model Mayhem.