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105 lines
6.7 KiB
Markdown
105 lines
6.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Data and Metadata Redaction"
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description: Use these tools to remove metadata like GPS location and other identifying information from photos and files you share.
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---
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<small>Protects against the following threat(s):</small>
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[{{< badge content="Public Exposure" color="green" >}}](../../../wiki/basics/common-threats/index.md#limiting-public-information)
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When sharing files, be sure to remove associated metadata. Image files commonly include [Exif](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exif) data. Photos sometimes even include GPS coordinates in the file metadata.
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> [!WARNING]
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> You should **never** use blur to redact [text in images](https://bishopfox.com/blog/unredacter-tool-never-pixelation). If you want to redact text in an image, you should draw a box over the text.
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<div class="pg-card-logos">
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{{< cards >}}
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{{< card link="#mat2" title="MAT2" image="./mat2.svg" subtitle="MAT2 is free, cross-platform software which allows you to remove metadata from image, audio, torrent, and document file types. It provides both a command line tool and a graphical user interface via an extension for Dolphin, the default file manager of KDE." >}}
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{{< card link="#exiferaser-android" title="ExifEraser" image="./exiferaser.svg" subtitle="ExifEraser is a modern, permissionless image metadata erasing application for Android." >}}
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{{< card link="#exiftool-cli" title="ExifTool" image="./exiftool.png" subtitle="ExifTool is the original Perl library and command-line application for reading, writing, and editing meta information (Exif, IPTC, XMP, and more) in a wide variety of file formats (JPEG, TIFF, PNG, PDF, RAW, and more)." >}}
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{{< /cards >}}
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</div>
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## MAT2
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**MAT2** is free, cross-platform software which allows you to remove metadata from image, audio, torrent, and document file types. It provides both a command line tool and a graphical user interface via an extension for [Dolphin](https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2/tree/master/dolphin), the default file manager of [KDE](https://kde.org).
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{{< cards >}}
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{{< card link="https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2#readme" title="Repository" icon="code" >}}
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{{< card link="https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2#how-to-use-mat2" title="Documentation" icon="document-text" >}}
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{{< /cards >}}
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[{{< badge content="Linux" color="yellow" >}}](https://pypi.org/project/mat2)
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[{{< badge content="macOS" color="indigo" >}}](https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2#requirements-setup-on-macos-os-x-using-homebrew)
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[{{< badge content="Windows" color="red" >}}](https://pypi.org/project/mat2)
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[{{< badge content="Web" >}}](https://github.com/jvoisin/mat2#web-interface)
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## ExifEraser (Android)
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**ExifEraser** is a modern, permissionless image metadata erasing application for Android.
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It currently supports JPEG, PNG, and WebP files.
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{{< cards >}}
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{{< card link="https://github.com/Tommy-Geenexus/exif-eraser#readme" title="Repository" icon="code" >}}
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{{< card link="https://github.com/Tommy-Geenexus/exif-eraser#description" title="Documentation" icon="document-text" >}}
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{{< /cards >}}
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[{{< badge content="Google Play" color="green" >}}](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.none.tom.exiferaser)
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[{{< badge content="Accrescent" >}}](https://accrescent.app/app/com.none.tom.exiferaser)
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[{{< badge content="GitHub" >}}](https://github.com/Tommy-Geenexus/exif-eraser/releases)
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The metadata that is erased depends on the image's file type:
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- **JPEG**: ICC Profile, Exif, Photoshop Image Resources and XMP/ExtendedXMP metadata will be erased if it exists.
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- **PNG**: ICC Profile, Exif and XMP metadata will be erased if it exists.
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- **WebP**: ICC Profile, Exif and XMP metadata will be erased if it exists.
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After processing the images, ExifEraser provides you with a full report about what exactly was removed from each image.
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The app offers multiple ways to erase metadata from images. Namely:
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- You can share an image from another application with ExifEraser.
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- Through the app itself, you can select a single image, multiple images at once, or even an entire directory.
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- It features a "Camera" option, which uses your operating system's camera app to take a photo, and then it removes the metadata from it.
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- It allows you to drag photos from another app into ExifEraser when they are both open in split-screen mode.
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- Lastly, it allows you to paste an image from your clipboard.
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## Shortcuts (iOS & macOS)
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On iOS and macOS, you can remove image metadata without using any third-party apps by creating a [**shortcut**](https://apps.apple.com/app/id915249334) for this purpose. Here is an example shortcut you can download to use as is:
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[:material-tag-minus: Clean Image Metadata](https://icloud.com/shortcuts/fb774ddb7b5b4296871776c67ac0fff9)
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{ .md-button }
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You can also use it as a model for your own shortcut; just make sure that the **Preserve Metadata** option under the **Convert** action is unchecked. Once added, you can access the shortcut in the share sheet that appears when you select the :octicons-share-24: Share button. You can select multiple images and invoke the shortcut to remove their metadata all at once.
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This shortcut removes metadata such as location, device model, lens model, and other camera information. It also sets the image creation date to the time the shortcut was used.
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## ExifTool (CLI)
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**ExifTool** is the original Perl library and command-line application for reading, writing, and editing meta information (Exif, IPTC, XMP, and more) in a wide variety of file formats (JPEG, TIFF, PNG, PDF, RAW, and more).
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It is often a component of other Exif removal applications and in most Linux distribution repositories.
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{{< cards >}}
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{{< card link="https://exiftool.org" title="Homepage" icon="home" >}}
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{{< card link="https://exiftool.org/faq.html" title="Documentation" icon="document-text" >}}
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{{< /cards >}}
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[{{< badge content="Linux" color="yellow" >}}](https://exiftool.org)
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[{{< badge content="macOS" color="indigo" >}}](https://exiftool.org)
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[{{< badge content="Windows" color="red" >}}](https://exiftool.org)
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> [!TIP]
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> To delete data from a directory of files, you can run this command inside the directory, replacing `file_extension` with the file type of the files you want to process (e.g. `jpg` or `png`):
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> ```bash
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> exiftool -all= *.file_extension
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> ```
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## Criteria
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**Please note we are not affiliated with any of the projects we recommend.** In addition to [our standard criteria](../../../about/criteria.md), we have developed a clear set of requirements to allow us to provide objective recommendations. We suggest you familiarize yourself with this list before choosing to use a project, and conduct your own research to ensure it's the right choice for you.
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- Apps developed for open-source operating systems must be open source.
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- Apps must be free and should not include ads or other limitations.
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