The future has much to scare us with — global warming, a rock from space, an outbreak of bird flu, the next Emraan Hashmi movie and hey, EXIF.
No, it’s not an evil corporation and no it doesn’t have its origins in a Chinese pig farm - let’s leave the neighbours out of this! EXIF stands for ‘Exchangeable Image File Format’ and here’s why this innocent child of technology has pedophiles and stalkers smiling.
A fews weeks ago, a news report revealed how EXIF data, present in photographs clicked using smartphones, helped ‘interested parties’ track down a subject’s location, current movement and address. The journalists described, in detail, how with simple browser add-ons, an ex-boyfriend could just right click, download your image from Facebook and emerge victorious holding an address.
You see, EXIF data is a tiny breadcrumb that attaches itself to every photograph you take, if you have features such as geo-tagging or the GPS enabled on your phone.
Critics of EXIF data are now requesting smartphone users to turn off the geo-tagging feature and disable global positioning software.
Security measures have even advised Facebook enthusiasts to go up to your online photo album, shine a torchlight at the privacy settings option and disable ‘location sharing’ - unless you’re okay with the grin. Even while working on a PC, right click on a photograph you just took, scroll down to properties and have a look at location indicators. If you find any, there's a ‘clear’ option nearby.
Also, Web users have been specifically advised to avoid posting geo-tagged photos on chat forums or inside some of those websites that try to sell free credit cards. Truly simple steps these.
And they couldn’t have arrived sooner. In an ideal world, innovations like geo-tagging, and other forms of location indicators are so much fun. Friends and family know where you are, mothers can track their little brats and you can even tell the world you’re live in concert! This is the dream technology had once promised.
But the bitter reality of our species is that we have managed to turn nuclear fission into mushroom clouds, the power of human flight into drones and the joy of sharing photo albums into paedophile tech — a bitter concoction of innovation mixed with deadly intention.
We’re not really living the dream here but thanks to a few journalists and the guardians of the Internet, reality is much in our hands.
So, for now, for the present — reboot, reset and yes, relax.