I built ClearShare to solve metadata privacy problems. One pattern I kept seeing was people posting photos online without realising their phone was tattling on them. Not in an obvious way - the data's invisible until someone looks.
What's Actually In There
Modern phones embed a lot of information in photos. Some of it's useful (the date you took it, what camera settings you used). Some of it's not (your exact GPS coordinates, your phone's serial number).
Here's what gets saved every time you snap a photo:
Location data - GPS coordinates accurate to within a few meters. I tested this with photos from my phone. Every single photo from my local coffee shop had the exact same coordinates. Anyone with basic skills could find that building.
Timestamps - Date and time, down to the second. Combine this with location data and you've got a pattern. Same place, same time, same days.
Device information - Phone model, sometimes the serial number. Not directly dangerous, but it's another data point someone could use.
Camera settings - Aperture, ISO, focal length. Harmless on its own, but it all adds up.
The thing is, social media sites strip some of this data when you upload. Instagram does. Facebook does. But WhatsApp? Email? Those photo sharing sites? Not always.
What Could Actually Happen
I'm not big on fear-mongering. The odds of something bad happening are low. But they're not zero.
Someone who knows what they're looking for can pull location data from a photo in seconds. There are websites that do it for you - you just upload the file.
Surveys of convicted burglars show over 10% actively use social media to find targets and work out when to strike.
Real cases:
A stalker in Tokyo found a woman's address by studying reflections in her pupils from high-resolution photos she posted online
Three burglars in New Hampshire tracked residents online and burgled 18 homes, stealing over $100,000
A California burglar used GPS data from Instagram photos to target 33 women, stealing $250,000 in valuables
The risks are straightforward. You're not just sharing where you are today - you're building a pattern. Work location. Gym times. Weekend routines. Places you go regularly.
I'm not saying don't share photos. I'm saying know what you're sharing.
The Actual Fix
You have two options: trust the platform to strip the data, or do it yourself.
I don't trust platforms. They change their policies. They make mistakes. I wanted something that would work regardless of where I was sharing the photo.
That's why ClearShare shows you what's in the file before you share it. You can see the GPS coordinates, the timestamp, all of it. Then you pick what to remove.
Some people want to keep the date but kill the location. Others strip everything. Your choice.
The face blur feature is useful for any group photos where not everyone might want to be identifiable online. Party photos, meetups, conference pictures - you control who stays recognisable.
How I Use It
I take photos on my phone like everyone else. Before I send them to anyone or post them anywhere, I run them through ClearShare.
Takes about ten seconds. I check the location data (almost always there), remove it, and share. Sometimes I blur faces if there are other people in the shot who might prefer that.
The app works offline. Nothing gets uploaded. The processing happens on your phone, which means your photos never leave your device unless you explicitly share them.
What About Cloud Backups?
Different problem. Google Photos, iCloud, whatever you're using - they already have all this data. They're backing up the original file with everything intact.
That's fine if you trust them with it. I do, mostly. But I don't trust every app I share photos through, and I definitely don't trust random websites.
ClearShare doesn't touch your backed-up photos. It creates a clean copy when you want to share something. The original stays exactly as it was.
Other Things Worth Doing
Removing metadata is one piece of the puzzle. Here are a few other things I do:
Avoid posting in real-time. Share the beach photo after you've left the beach.
Check your social media privacy settings. I know everyone says this, but actually do it. Who can see your posts? Who can see where you've been tagged?
Think about what's in the background. House numbers, street signs, that distinctive building across the road.
The Paranoid Level
I'm technical enough to be cautious without being paranoid. I share photos online. I just make sure I'm only sharing what I intend to share.
Some people go further. They don't post photos with people in them at all. That's valid. Everyone has different threat models.
My threat model: I don't want to accidentally tell the internet where I live or work. I don't want someone to be able to build a map of my routine from photo metadata. Beyond that, I'm not losing sleep.
Actually Using ClearShare
The app is free for basic metadata removal. That covers most use cases - strip the GPS data, timestamps, camera info, and share.
Premium features (face blur, text blur for license plates and signs) cost money because they use more complex processing. But the core privacy protection - the metadata stripping - that's free.
I built this because I wanted it for myself. Turns out other people wanted it too.
If you're on Android, you can grab it from the Play Store. It works without an internet connection, doesn't collect any data, and there's no account to set up. Download, use it, done.
The goal isn't to make you paranoid about every photo. The goal is to give you control over what you're actually sharing.
Your photos. Your privacy. Your choice what information leaves your phone.
