What does your photo reveal about you?
Photographs taken on a phone often carry the exact coordinates of where they were taken, the device that took them, and the moment they were taken — written invisibly into the file. Anyone who receives the original can read it in seconds.
Nothing is uploaded. Your photo is read by your own browser and never leaves your device. There is no server involved — you can turn off your internet connection after this page loads and it will still work.
Why this matters
Location metadata has been used to find people who believed they were anonymous — by stalkers, by people attempting blackmail, and by anyone determined enough to open the original file rather than a screenshot. It takes no skill: the coordinates paste straight into a map.
It matters most for anyone sharing photographs with people they have not met, which includes far more people than usually think of themselves as at risk.
Common questions
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read by your own browser and examined on your device. There is no upload, no server involved, and nothing is stored. You can disconnect from the internet after loading this page and the tool still works — which is the simplest way to verify the claim for yourself.
What is EXIF data?
Information the camera writes into the image file itself: often the GPS coordinates where the photo was taken, the make and model of the device, and the exact date and time. It is invisible when you view the picture but trivially readable by anyone who has the file.
How do I remove it?
Sending a photo through most messaging apps and social platforms strips it automatically, because they re-encode the image. Sending the original file — by email, as a file attachment, or via a service that preserves originals — usually does not. On iPhone, the share sheet has Options where Location can be turned off before sending. On Android, Google Photos offers a similar control. Taking a screenshot of a photo also produces a file with no original metadata.
Does a clean result mean the photo is safe to share?
No, and this is the more important point. Metadata is only the hidden part. People are identified far more often from what is visible in the picture — a framed photograph, a distinctive room, a view from a window, a number plate, a uniform, a reflection. Check the background as carefully as you check the file.
Why does this only work on JPEG files?
JPEG is what phone cameras produce by default and where this metadata is most commonly found. PNG, WebP and HEIC store information differently. If this tool cannot read your file it says so, and that result means "unknown" rather than "clean".
Free to use and to share
No signup, no cost, no data collected. If you run a community group, university or support organisation, you are welcome to link to this page or recommend it — that is what it is for.
See also: online safety and reporting routes · a practical privacy guide