iOS 6 Whatsapp Strips EXIF Metadata – iMessage Doesn’t
Privacy is a buzzword in our current digital age. With the ubiquity of Smart Phones, we see advancements in interpersonal communications where what cannot be expressed in words, can now be easily expressed in pictures.
A quick snap and send later, the party on the other end of the line can immediately be privy to what is in front of us.
What most don’t realise is that, as discussed in our earlier article, with the sophistication of our current Smart Phones most pictures can be accompanied with a plethora detailed EXIF Metadata which could disclose not only the detailed specifications of the device used to take the picture but also the GPS co-ordinates where the picture was taken.
For those concerned with privacy, we recommend sending pictures using Whatsapp as opposed to iMessage. Through our simple trial and test it is concluded that Whatsapp strips EXIF Metadata automatically before pictures are sent through its network.
The current iOS 6iMessage on the other hand does not.
What this translates to is – all that a person who wants to know where, when and how a picture sent to them was taken needs to do, is transfer the picture onto their Mac. Open it in Preview and all the EXIF Metadata can be viewed using the Preview Inspector window.
Lets hope that iOS 7.0 sees improvements in this area, where privacy can be preserved without needing to download additional apps to strip EXIF Metadata or having to disable Locations services on our iOS devices every time we do not wish to share location information of our pictures.
For now, its probably best to stick to sending pictures through Whatsapp.
