View Full Version : BEWARE...Posting Smartphone Photos of Bikes
The Idle Biker
05-07-12, 01:55 PM
I saw this elsewhere and thought I'd better share this. Haven't tried it, I'll leave it to you take this onboard, ignore or dispute it. :smt093
Basically, if you use a smartphone, the picture will have GPS location data embedded, the time you took the photo and the type of smartphone used!!! All a Pikey thief needs to do is open a website (removed as pikey scumbags might read this)
Right click the bike's photo, copy the URL onto the webpage and Bish Bash Bosh - he has the Lat/Long GPS data for your house. It even loads a google satellite image.
The bloke who gave me the steer had two bikes stolen and could not work out how they got his address. He eventually found out this information and realised he had taken the photo outside his garage with a smartphone.
So beware everyone. The scumbags are smarter that they used to be.
The Guru
05-07-12, 02:03 PM
Is that not only if you have GeoTagging enabled?
_Stretchie_
05-07-12, 02:05 PM
I can only speak from my experience but on all my HTC's over the last 5ish years that has been an option that you enable/disable from within the camera options.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j11/Stretchie_/ScreenShot.png
Hope that helps. But good post anyway mate
** EDIT **
beat me to it
Spank86
05-07-12, 02:06 PM
I dont think thats right in all instances (can't get mine to do it), if in doubt upload to a site like photobucket before linking.
granty92
05-07-12, 02:06 PM
cheers for this ha was about to upload pictures sat outside my house, prefer not to now :L
m15terroboto
05-07-12, 02:11 PM
On the iphone, settings, location services, camera - set to off!
If it is on, then the lat/long data is stored in the exif, so (I may be wrong) even if uploaded elsewhere the data may still be there.
Elliott
05-07-12, 02:15 PM
It's the exif of the file. All modern smartphones have this. Best bet is to upload to a 3rd party.
MisterTommyH
05-07-12, 02:17 PM
Not just smartphones either.
A lot of compacts also include GPS data in the exif file.
Sir Trev
06-07-12, 07:15 AM
Just checked my Galaxy Ace and the default setting for the GPS option is OFF. Hoorah.
andrewsmith
06-07-12, 07:56 AM
As a note to anyone still like me an using a Symbian OS phone (Nokia and older Samsungs) this setting is in:
Camera> Options> Settings> Show GPS info
Fallout
06-07-12, 08:08 AM
I hate technology. This whole "Oh wouldn't it be amazing if we could tag locations with our photos!" idea without thinking through the consequences. The responsible thing to do would be to have this all turned off by default, then when you switch it on, a big warning pops up saying "Anyone who views this photo will be able to track it's location".
From then on, it's the users responsibility. Up until that point, it's not our fault because we can't be expected to foresee all possible problems.
Spank86
06-07-12, 08:11 AM
Although its probably not much of an issue for most of us.
I mean how far is your average criminal going to travel to track down an 8 year old SV?
Or a speed four, for that matter?
They're unlikely to feature in the motorbike version of 'gone in 60 seconds' (gone in 6 seconds?). For most people I'd guess they're more likely to run into trouble parked up somewhere or if they leave their bike out the front of their house.
If someone know the website in question could they send me a PM cause I want to steal all your bikes please.
Not really, all your bikes are crap, I just want to see if any photos I have posted can be tracked.
*EDIT, my Googling skills found the site and it doesn't show the location of my pics uploaded to photobucket which I know are GPS tagged.
Still a good idea to turn tagging off though.
MisterTommyH
06-07-12, 09:14 AM
Anything in Photobuckets should still have the GPS data embedded - Go to the photo tagging game and try the links from any of those.
If photos are uploaded to facebook or similar then most of the exif data is stripped out and you won't have any problems with this.
Edit: Strange.... Your photos from photobuckets don't have the GPS in: http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm308/mad-fish-willy/CIMG0007len.jpg
But mine from photobucket do: http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz78/Thomas_Nathaniel_Hender/photo.jpg
Must be the settings in your camera.... or your account.
Wideboy
06-07-12, 09:16 AM
I've never had this switched on, i fail to see the point in needing to let the world know when your home or down the ghey bar
I use it because I have both a terrible memory and sense of direction. When on a rideout I can take a picture of places and if they are GPS tagged I have half a chance of finding them again.
AndyBrad
06-07-12, 09:22 AM
Although its probably not much of an issue for most of us.
I mean how far is your average criminal going to travel to track down an 8 year old SV?
Couple of hundred yards...
Or a speed four, for that matter
To the ends of the earth ;-)
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Specialone
06-07-12, 09:27 AM
Is this just a bit ott?
If someone likes the look of your bike, they still have to get to it.
Also, your bike would really have to stand out from the crowd for them to go to the trouble, what I mean by this if you have a standard gixxer or whatever, the thieves will see tons of these around and can easily just follow one to their home.
Fair enough if you have a rare classic or a massively modified bike with tens of thousands spent on it I can understand.
Anything in Photobuckets should still have the GPS data embedded - Go to the photo tagging game and try the links from any of those.
If photos are uploaded to facebook or similar then most of the exif data is stripped out and you won't have any problems with this.
Edit: Strange.... Your photos from photobuckets don't have the GPS in: http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm308/mad-fish-willy/CIMG0007len.jpg
But mine from photobucket do: http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz78/Thomas_Nathaniel_Hender/photo.jpg
Must be the settings in your camera.... or your account.
That's because the one you linked to was taken with my camera.
There are others on there which were taken with my phone and I can see the co-ordinates in photobucket, just not on the secret site.
I am not worried about my bike being stolen, more about you reprobates knowing where I live and coming round for tea.
The weird thing is though it shows the co-ordinates of where it was uploaded, not where it was taken.
Spank86
06-07-12, 10:48 AM
If there are any bike thieves in my areas reading this I'd suggest they just spend a day down loomies and follow home whatever brand of bike takes their fancy, it'd be quicker and easier and involve less travelling. The internets a big place.
femaleacid
08-07-12, 09:53 PM
The Tapatalk app is guilty for this on the iphone.
When i had the iphone if i uploaded to photobucket or SV forum whether its a picture or text it showed my location. Luckily enough i noticed straight away and modified my posts so it was off but if i was to exit the application and bring it back up, the location option was back ON.
A BIG flaw. Its just asking for trouble.
I have left my bike on brighton sea front, central london and poole quay with the keys in the igntion and i still have the bike. I even had the keys handed into the site security. So no one wants poor Doris :)
If people want your stuff they will have it no matter what you do to stop them. Why on earth would you keep taking pictures of your bike anyway? Its parked outside and you can look at it whenever you want ;)
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