Many folks have asked us what metadata gets scrubbed from which file types on the forum. In the past, we've told users "image metadata is scrubbed, however video metadata is not." However, after further testing it turns out this isn't exactly accurate.
Only .jpg and .jpeg files will have their metadata information scrubbed automatically by the forum. Even then, it can take 20 minutes to a few hours. Any other image file type (.png, .gif, .tif, etc.) will permanently contain metadata if you do not remove the data yourself before uploading your image/video onto the forum. Ditto with ALL video files, they will not have their metadata information scrubbed.
What is metadata?
Put simply, metadata is information that is descriptive or is a file descriptor that's buried inside of a file and cannot normally be seen without a special program. Any file can contain metadata, but most common it's prevalent in photos and videos.
Why should I be concerned?
Because this unseen buried file data can contain anything from your full uncensored name to your exact home address. Often, if you're not careful, phones will imbed "geo locating" into your photos if you don't disable the option in your settings beforehand, which contains your exact coordinates on a map. I'm going to guess that most of you don't fancy being doxxed.
What can I do about metadata? I want to share videos and pictures on the forum safely!!
While ZooVille itself doesn't endorse any particular program nor website. There's plenty of free programs and websites that you can Google that offer metadata scrubbing services. E.g. Exiftool or imagesmaller.com.
This is more of a public service announcement to correct prior disinformation that was shared by ZooVille staff to users in the past. As for the longest time we were pretty sure all image metadata got scrubbed automatically and we were not aware of the limitations of our plugin until somewhat recently. Only .jpg or .jpeg images will have their metadata automatically removed. Still, it's best not to rely on the forum software to do it for you. All it takes is someone downloading your file with your home address embedded inside of it shortly after you've posted it on the forum for your information to be doxxed if said person is malicious.
Only .jpg and .jpeg files will have their metadata information scrubbed automatically by the forum. Even then, it can take 20 minutes to a few hours. Any other image file type (.png, .gif, .tif, etc.) will permanently contain metadata if you do not remove the data yourself before uploading your image/video onto the forum. Ditto with ALL video files, they will not have their metadata information scrubbed.
What is metadata?
Put simply, metadata is information that is descriptive or is a file descriptor that's buried inside of a file and cannot normally be seen without a special program. Any file can contain metadata, but most common it's prevalent in photos and videos.
Why should I be concerned?
Because this unseen buried file data can contain anything from your full uncensored name to your exact home address. Often, if you're not careful, phones will imbed "geo locating" into your photos if you don't disable the option in your settings beforehand, which contains your exact coordinates on a map. I'm going to guess that most of you don't fancy being doxxed.
What can I do about metadata? I want to share videos and pictures on the forum safely!!
While ZooVille itself doesn't endorse any particular program nor website. There's plenty of free programs and websites that you can Google that offer metadata scrubbing services. E.g. Exiftool or imagesmaller.com.
This is more of a public service announcement to correct prior disinformation that was shared by ZooVille staff to users in the past. As for the longest time we were pretty sure all image metadata got scrubbed automatically and we were not aware of the limitations of our plugin until somewhat recently. Only .jpg or .jpeg images will have their metadata automatically removed. Still, it's best not to rely on the forum software to do it for you. All it takes is someone downloading your file with your home address embedded inside of it shortly after you've posted it on the forum for your information to be doxxed if said person is malicious.