Manipulating stored geocoordinates in cellphone photos
Programming Snapshot – Go Geofuzzer
Mike Schilli loves his privacy. That's why he's created a Go program that adds a geo-obfuscation layer to cellphone photos before they are published on online platforms to prevent inquisitive minds from inferring the location.
If you sell your stuff online, you might overlook the potential risk of sales-promoting cellphone photos revealing highly sensitive private information. When you take a picture of the goods at home with your cellphone, the image file may also contain the geodata with which the private address can be determined to within a few yards. Large sales platforms generally do not publish this meta-information, but who wants to give away more information than is absolutely necessary on Ebay or Facebook?
The cellphone also erases geodata directly if desired – but then it looks as if the user has something to hide. That's why the self-written Go program in this issue adds a geo-obfuscation layer to image files to make sure that the geocoordinates are randomly blurred. From this, it might be possible to determine the seller's location down to the neighborhood, but not the exact address.
[...]
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Digital Autonomy
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Surpasses Double-Digit Market Share
According to two sources, the Linux operating system has hit a major milestone in market share that naysayers thought would never happen.
-
AI Helped Develop a Linux Exploit
A use-after-free race exploit was discovered and exploited on CentOS Stream 9.
-
Yet Another Linux Kernel Vulnerability Discovered
Affecting millions of systems, a kernel flaw discovered by Qualys could allow users to gain root privileges.
-
Ubuntu 26.10 to Include Ubuntu Certified Hardware Check
If you've ever wondered if your laptop or PC is officially certified to run Ubuntu, that curiosity will soon be met.
-
Substantial Update to IPFire Now Available
The lastest version of IPFire features a fundamental change to how the system handles DNS.
-
Gnome Working on Test Center App to Make Testing Easier
It's now possible to test experimental features on the Gnome desktop without worrying that you'll break things.
-
New Vulnerability Discovered in Linux Kernel
Hiding out for nearly 15 years, the Ghostlock vulnerability allows a standard logged-in user to gain root privileges.
-
New Linux Flaw Lets Attackers Escape VMs
A 16-year-old vulnerability allows an attacker to escape a virtual machine, gain access to the host, and execute malicious code.
-
Hannah Montana Linux Is Back!
Developer Noah Cagle decided the world needed the once obscure but beloved Linux distribution and gave it a decidedly pink refresh.
-
System76 Refreshes the Lemur Laptop
If you're looking for a laptop with tons of power and battery, look no further than the latest iteration of the System76 Lemur Pro.