How to verify images using EXIF files (Q&As) Each and every digital photo contains a How do I find EXIF data? metadata file called EXIF that can identify If you search online for “EXIF data viewer” when and where the image was captured. you will see many options. One of the This information is added to the file the simplest tools is Jeffry’s EXIF Data Viewer moment you take the picture, no matter what [http://regex.info/exif.cgi] which also offers a device you use. EXIF files can be very useful for plug-in for several web browsers. You can also verification, but can also be manipulated when find EXIF data using software on your computer an image changes hands or has circulated on like Photoshop or iPhoto. social media. Can EXIF Data be manipulated? When should I look for an EXIF file? Yes. Tools such as Geosetter and other photo- A picture should contain an EXIF file if it came editing software can be used to falsify EXIF data. directly from the source’s camera to your inbox This means that EXIF data should only be used as without being altered or changing hands. It can one of many steps in your verification process. still have an EXIF file if it was edited. If an image Tools like JPEGSnoop may detect software that does not contain an EXIF file, you should question was used to manipulate an image. the originality. You can check the EXIF and other data and see what kind of camera created it or what software it was exported from. If it has been altered or manipulated, it may have other kinds of metadata as well. Will there always be EXIF data in your image? Most social media platforms strip out EXIF data or create lower quality copies of the photo when a picture is uploaded to their platform (with the What if someone takes a photo of an old photo? EXIF data only tells you the device that captured the image, it knows nothing about what was actually in front of the camera. Even if the EXIF file matches up to date and location, the image could still be something other than what it pretends to be, for instance a photo of a photo. exception of dedicated photo sharing websites). If you’re verifying a picture sourced from social media, you usually won’t find any EXIF data. 27