Metadata
Supplementary data embedded in image files describing capture settings, copyright, location, and other properties. Standards include Exif, IPTC, and XMP.
Metadata is "data about data" embedded in image files, including capture conditions, location, copyright, and editing history. Major standards are Exif (capture parameters), IPTC (press/copyright), and XMP (Adobe extensions).
Exif records camera model, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, and GPS coordinates. Leaving GPS data in images shared online risks exposing home locations and travel patterns, making metadata removal advisable before publication.
The Exif removal tool safely strips privacy-sensitive metadata in the browser. Conversely, metadata preservation matters for photo management and copyright protection. During image optimization, stripping metadata can reduce file size by tens of kilobytes, a common practice for web delivery.