Removing the EXIF data from my fake hashnode profile pic
As I was setting up my fake Hashnode profile I started wondering if it was possible to read a profile photos' exif data to find out if I downloaded it from https://thispersondoesnotexist.xyz/. Maybe it's stripped off in the upload / optimization process upon uploading here? I wonder...
Now, I know what you're saying to yourself, "I'm clickin' away if I don't see CLI tool writtens in PERL sometime around 2005 for this". I want you to stop right there. One word. "exiftool"
Get exiftool.
side note: I know you've been conditioned to be a lazy-ass code copy paster. I won't encourage this behavior here by giving you a command to install these tools for your favorite OS. Do your due-diligence. Don't f'n download software from these slack-ass walk-through posts without at least mumbling under your breath, "I don't give a Sh*t. This is a work computer."
Here's a bash script you can pipe to fill the void I've left for you.
curl parrot.live
Lets check my photo
exiftool antoine.jpg
Apparently, my download doesn't have any identifying info! Is this the case for all downloaded photos from this site? Lemme check a few.
Sweet. Now I know there's no way you'd be able to tell that my profile photo is fake! rubs hands manically .
You. You've got a juicier one... don't you?
Strip it all off
exiftool -all= bossdoinblow.jpg
# or with match patterns
exiftool -all= *.jpg
Change what you will
exiftool -createdate="1955:11:05 01:00:00" bosswithescort.jpg
There's different tags for different formats. Check it.
https://exiftool.org/TagNames/index.html
It's all about location. location. location.
I'm not convinced. Am I seeing all the info? How can I confirm that i am not leaking something I don't want?
Get imagemagic
Read all the things
identify -verbose juno106.jpg
That's overwhelming! Let's narrow it down. exiftool makes this easier.
exiftool -s -*GPS* obrahiemOB8.jpg
If only there were a way I could get rid of that data...
# imagine me repeating the command here
Final note. Even though much of this is meant to be sarcastic and fun, there really is a larger moral to this story beyond script-kitty-ing our way to clandestine manipulation of images. I want you to say to yourself, "what about xzy?". One of the most subversive, dangerous, and sly traps of the internet (and now AI) is the ejaculated readiness of information and the optimization algorithms to get you to click. The side effect is half truths or complete misinformation. We're all sucking off the information teet without knowing whos teet we're sucking or why we're even hungry in the first place. Just take a min. Make sure you've got the right tiddy.
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Written by
Antoine Maryweather
Antoine Maryweather
A film critic turned software engineer