privacyguides.org/docs/data-redaction.md
redoomed1 06d2f0e3e1
style!: Make minor changes across recommendation pages for consistency (#2972)
- Grammar, Style, and Wording Changes
  - Remove commas where pauses or breaks in reading may not be needed
  - Reduce instances of comma splices by replacing commas with
    semicolons or em dashes where appropriate
  - Spell out abbreviations like E2EE for the first instance of the term
    on the page, then use the abbreviation for the subsequent instances
  - Add line breaks in card descriptions for a cleaner look,
    particularly for mentions of an accompanying blog review of a tool
  - Move more technical information from recommendation blurb to the
    description under the card
  - Format quotations from audits as block quotes
  - Standardize syntax for tooltips
  - Arrange download links according to the widely used order
    - Mobile app stores > alternative distribution methods (e.g.,
      GitHub) > developer-owned or -operated F-Droid repositories >>
      desktop platforms > Flathub >> browsers >> web
  - Shorten Chrome extension links
  - Standardize icon for web download links
  - For "Repository" buttons, embed direct links to project's Readme to
    differentiate them from "Source Code" links

- Other Changes
  - Add GitHub releases link for IVPN
  - Mention CryptPad's official public instance and add link to list of
    public instances
  - Replace current link to Miniflux docs with a direct link to the end
    user docs
  - Update version of Newsboat documentation link
  - Update and reword guidance on finding YouTube channel code for RSS feed
  - Remove F-Droid download link for Stingle since it is not owned by
    the developer or dev team

Signed-off-by: Jonah Aragon <jonah@privacyguides.org>
Signed-off-by: fria <fria@privacyguides.org>
Signed-off-by: Daniel Gray <dngray@privacyguides.org>
2025-05-15 21:10:42 +09:30

6.7 KiB

meta_title title icon description cover
Remove PII with Metadata Scrubbers and Data Redaction Tools - Privacy Guides Data and Metadata Redaction material/tag-remove Use these tools to remove metadata like GPS location and other identifying information from photos and files you share. data-redaction.webp

Protects against the following threat(s):

When sharing files, be sure to remove associated metadata. Image files commonly include Exif data. Photos sometimes even include GPS coordinates in the file metadata.

Warning

You should never use blur to redact text in images. If you want to redact text in an image, you should draw a box over the text.

MAT2

MAT2 logo{ align=right }

MAT2 is free, cross-platform software which allows you to remove metadata from image, audio, torrent, and document file types. It provides both a command line tool and a graphical user interface via an extension for Dolphin, the default file manager of KDE.

:octicons-repo-16: Repository{ .md-button .md-button--primary } :octicons-info-16:{ .card-link title="Documentation" } :octicons-code-16:{ .card-link title="Source Code" }

Downloads

ExifEraser (Android)

ExifEraser logo{ align=right }

ExifEraser is a modern, permissionless image metadata erasing application for Android.

It currently supports JPEG, PNG, and WebP files.

:octicons-repo-16: Repository{ .md-button .md-button--primary } :octicons-info-16:{ .card-link title="Documentation" } :octicons-code-16:{ .card-link title="Source Code" }

Downloads

The metadata that is erased depends on the image's file type:

  • JPEG: ICC Profile, Exif, Photoshop Image Resources and XMP/ExtendedXMP metadata will be erased if it exists.
  • PNG: ICC Profile, Exif and XMP metadata will be erased if it exists.
  • WebP: ICC Profile, Exif and XMP metadata will be erased if it exists.

After processing the images, ExifEraser provides you with a full report about what exactly was removed from each image.

The app offers multiple ways to erase metadata from images. Namely:

  • You can share an image from another application with ExifEraser.
  • Through the app itself, you can select a single image, multiple images at once, or even an entire directory.
  • It features a "Camera" option, which uses your operating system's camera app to take a photo, and then it removes the metadata from it.
  • It allows you to drag photos from another app into ExifEraser when they are both open in split-screen mode.
  • Lastly, it allows you to paste an image from your clipboard.

Shortcuts (iOS & macOS)

On iOS and macOS, you can remove image metadata without using any third-party apps by creating a shortcut for this purpose. Here is an example shortcut you can download to use as is:

:material-tag-minus: Clean Image Metadata{ .md-button }

You can also use it as a model for your own shortcut; just make sure that the Preserve Metadata option under the Convert action is unchecked. Once added, you can access the shortcut in the share sheet that appears when you select the :octicons-share-24: Share button. You can select multiple images and invoke the shortcut to remove their metadata all at once.

This shortcut removes metadata such as location, device model, lens model, and other camera information. It also sets the image creation date to the time the shortcut was used.

ExifTool (CLI)

ExifTool logo{ align=right }

ExifTool is the original Perl library and command-line application for reading, writing, and editing meta information (Exif, IPTC, XMP, and more) in a wide variety of file formats (JPEG, TIFF, PNG, PDF, RAW, and more).

It is often a component of other Exif removal applications and in most Linux distribution repositories.

:octicons-home-16: Homepage{ .md-button .md-button--primary } :octicons-info-16:{ .card-link title="Documentation" } :octicons-code-16:{ .card-link title="Source Code" } :octicons-heart-16:{ .card-link title="Contribute" }

Downloads

Deleting data from a directory of files

exiftool -all= *.file_extension

Criteria

Please note we are not affiliated with any of the projects we recommend. In addition to our standard criteria, we have developed a clear set of requirements to allow us to provide objective recommendations. We suggest you familiarize yourself with this list before choosing to use a project, and conduct your own research to ensure it's the right choice for you.

  • Apps developed for open-source operating systems must be open source.
  • Apps must be free and should not include ads or other limitations.