The potential dangers of 'geotagging'on your mobile device

摘要

Geotagging" is a process that automatically adds geographical metadata to photos and other media created on a mobile or other device. Metadata is really just data about data.It's often embedded in files we create such as documents, JPG files, videos and spreadsheets. Its hidden functionality is to permit users to collect data streams on everything from software versions to creation timelines to global positioning satellite (GPS) locations.GPS functionality is common in today's smartphones, but most of us don't take the time to see how that functionality might be invading our everyday privacy. JPG metadata is typically quite extensive. The data recorded from smartphones on every photo andvideo includes details of file size, light source, aperture speed, lens type, device type and geographical location. It often also includes the device name you assigned when activating the unit. For example, mine shows up as "Dean's Phone" — but many people tag their devices with their full first and last names or their company names.