Photos contain more than what’s visible. GPS coordinates. Timestamps. Device make and model. All baked into the file. All shareable. Here’s what you’re actually sending when you send a photo.
The visible content is the least of it. The metadata is the part that puts your home address into a stranger’s hands. For the full EXIF removal walkthrough, see the EXIF Removal section. This page covers the platforms themselves.
Platform Comparison
| Platform | Private Account Option | Strips EXIF on Upload | Allows Reposting | Google-indexed by Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes — Private Account | Yes (GPS stripped) | No (in-app; screenshots possible) | No (private accounts) | |
| Snapchat | Yes | Yes | No (designed for disappearing; screenshots saveable) | No |
| Yes | Mostly (GPS stripped) | Possible via Share | Depends on privacy settings | |
| Google Photos | Yes (private by default) | No — GPS retained in library | Sharing creates a link | No (unless shared publicly) |
| Flickr | Yes | No — EXIF viewable by default | Via Creative Commons license (if enabled) | Yes (public photos) |
| Photobucket | Yes (paid private accounts) | Partial | Via direct links | Depends on privacy settings |
Path: Profile → three-bar menu → Settings → Account Privacy
- Private Account: Enable — only approved followers can see your posts
- Story Sharing: Settings → Privacy → Story → disable “Allow Resharing to Stories”
- Photo Tags: Settings → Privacy → Tags → “Add manually” (approve all tags before they appear on your profile)
- Mentions: Settings → Privacy → Mentions → “People You Follow Only”
- Review all photos in your archive for identifiable locations in backgrounds — addresses, landmarks, street signs
Snapchat
Path: Profile icon → Settings (gear icon)
- Who Can…: Set Contact Me, View My Story, See My Location to “My Friends” only
- Ghost Mode: Enable in Snap Map — hides your location from all contacts
- Memories: Review — saved snaps are stored; disable cloud backup if privacy is a concern
Note: Snapchat stories and messages are NOT truly ephemeral. Recipients can screenshot. Anything you send can be preserved.
Path: Profile → Settings → Privacy
(See the Facebook section for the complete settings guide)
- Who can see your future posts: Set to Friends or Only Me
- Timeline review: Enable — approve tags before they appear on your profile
- Photo albums: Review each album’s audience setting individually — album privacy is set separately from profile privacy
- Limit past posts: Settings → Privacy → Limit Past Posts
Google Photos
Path: Google Photos app → Library → select photo → three-dot menu → Photo info
Google Photos retains EXIF data including GPS coordinates. When you look at “Photo info,” you can see exactly what everyone else can see.
- Sharing: Creating a shared album or link makes photos accessible to anyone with that link — there’s no login required
- Review shared albums: Library → Sharing → audit what’s shared and with whom
- Location data in Google Photos: Can be viewed via the search feature (search “New York” to find all photos geotagged there) — your entire travel history is discoverable this way
- Consider disabling GPS on your camera/phone before taking photos (see EXIF Removal section)
Most people assume Google handles privacy automatically. It doesn’t. Google Photos retains GPS.
Flickr
Path: Account icon → Settings → Privacy & Permissions
- Default privacy for new uploads: Set to Private or Friends/Family — not Public
- EXIF data: Flickr displays EXIF data including GPS coordinates to viewers by default. Disable: Settings → Privacy → Hide EXIF data
- Search visibility: Configure your profile so it’s not indexed by search engines; disable public search visibility for your photostream
- Creative Commons licensing: Ensure you have not set photos to a license that allows others to reuse them
Flickr’s EXIF being public by default catches almost everyone off guard. Check this setting today.
Photobucket
Path: Account → Settings → Privacy Settings
- Set account to Private — requires a paid Photobucket Plus subscription
- Review all albums — ensure public albums don’t contain personal photos
- Direct image links are accessible to anyone with the URL even on a “private” account — Photobucket’s “private” only hides the gallery, not the image URLs themselves
General Photo Sharing Rules
Before posting any photo publicly:
- Strip EXIF data before posting — especially GPS coordinates (see EXIF Removal section)
- Review backgrounds — windows, street signs, mail, vehicle plates, and wall art can reveal your exact location
- Audit old posts — most people have years of geotagged photos from before they understood the risk
- Don’t post in real time — posting “live” reveals your current location; post after you’ve left
- Think about identifiable faces — posting photos of children has long-term implications they cannot consent to
⚠ WARNING: Posting in real time while you’re still at a location tells anyone watching exactly where you are right now. Post later. Every time.
Go into Google Photos and search a city name where you’ve spent time. Everything that comes up is geotagged and retrievable by anyone you’ve shared with. Then go to Flickr settings and disable EXIF visibility. Those are the two that surprise people most.