CTR Announcements

Are your photos revealing too much personal data?

For years, tech savvy people have known that photos shot on your phone contain lots of information that you may not want revealed. Photos contain metadata that can be visible to viewers and hackers, including GPS exact location, date and time, and your name (if using a cell phone). Before you post photos publicly, take the steps to remove metadata to protect your personal and department’s privacy.

Action Steps

• Metadata on photos on Windows Desktop can be removed under “Properties” and “Remove Properties and Personal Information”. Windows Desktop also allows you to save a copy without metadata.

• Follow your cell phone provider’s instructions to remove location tracking and other data from your photos. Some information may require use of a third party app.

• Your cell phone provider posts instructions for how you can turn off tracking and location data for your photos under personal or privacy settings.

See our CTR Cyber page for more cybersecurity internal controls to keep you safe at work and at home.

Contact [email protected] with any incidents or suspected incidents of fraud or cyber threats or if you need support from our Statewide Risk Management Team.