BEWARE: Camera Model and serial number sometimes embedded in pics you take

[Chris Hanson]

Just to let you know if you take custom pics with your camera, you camera Model Number and Namer of Camera are embedded in your pics as long as the date and time

[kasabian]

Flickr does this everytime you upload a photo. It has the camera model, date when photo was taken....everything!

Look at all the info it got from one of my photos.

Camera: Canon Digital IXUS 850 IS
Exposure: 0.05 sec (1/20)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 4.6 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Orientation: Horizontal (normal)
X-Resolution: 72 dpi
Y-Resolution: 72 dpi
Software: Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Date and Time: 2007:08:12 14:56:56
YCbCr Positioning: Centered
Date and Time (Original): 2007:08:12 13:50:51
Date and Time (Digitized): 2007:08:12 13:50:51
Compressed Bits per Pixel: 5 bits
Shutter Speed: 138/32
Maximum Lens Aperture: 95/32
Metering Mode: Pattern
Color Space: sRGB
Focal Plane X-Resolution: 2844.444 dpi
Focal Plane Y-Resolution: 2840.237 dpi
Sensing Method: One-chip colour area sensor
Digital Zoom Ratio: 3072/3072
Compression: JPEG
Image Width: 480 pixels
Image Height: 640 pixels

[imjustme]

That's why you don't post the same photos on different eBay accounts...

[mr burns]

I think this was what happened to me the other day when i took a pic with a camera i used on my origanal suspened account,then wham! within 1/2hr suspended. I went nuts at my wife as i thought it was an error from her using the computer,but when i added up the ends i told her it could have been the pic that i uploaded from the camera.

[longisland88]

sooo I cant use pics from the same camera on different ebay accounts?(not necessarily the same pics, just same camera)

[mr burns]

Dont quote what i have said as i am not 100% certain but all signs point to the camera i was using as i have other accounts that are still running fine with images i got off the internet

[AndreasF]

It is possible but very unlikely.

I used the same pics on several accounts -which are still alive- but changed only a) name of the pics and b) format and size of the pics.

[ebaykilla]

i doubt ebay checks that info...too much photo jacking occurs on the site and everyone would be suspended! lol

[newebayerwannabe]

I agree with ebaykilla.
Alot of people uses other seller pics to list. Though it is image theft EB will only act if it was repoted to them.

[vers0]

I am using a Kodak C875. This is the only digital camera I have ever owned. This is the same camera that I have used on two suspended accounts. I'm not sure if this camera records the information in the PIC as mentioned but for me this is not affecting my current accounts. I have mentioned about a week ago that I will take multiple pics of the same items and rename them differently. I also use different background colors. Only use one picture with one ebay account. I also have been using the watermark feature that Auctiva provides. I will place my user name in the picture to help prevent people stealing my pics. I will always place the text where it would be hard to remove using Photoshop. Not impossible to remove but difficult.

[vers0]

To comment on what Modee said about stealing photos. I was once suspended for 7 days because Someone used my pic and reported it to eBay that I stole his pic. Prior to the suspension, I emailed the person and requested him to remove or replace his pic because I was the one who created it. He told me to go **** myself and said that he will do whatever he wants. I did not report the pic thing to eBay because I just took another pic. Ebay didn't even research the incident. Its obvious that my auction was posted before his.

[newebayerwannabe]

yeah if you did report it EB will most likely check both listings and in most cases will end the other persons listing.

[aspkin]

Come on guys... this won't link your accounts. EBay only goes off the image URL.

[ebayhateluv]

HI- I just caught MYSELF today... listed like 15 items through auctiva last nite, went ot view today-- there they were STAMPED with my very first ebay user id... I quickly ended them, now i am cropping thm in auctiva.... BOY, that was a close one!

[kasabian]

Originally Posted by Modee

This thread is about whether EBAY will link you to past accounts, or photos for that matter, via the DocuColor tracking dots. I see no evidence that they have ever done this.

It's true. This thread is about whether EBAY will link you to past accounts via your photos.

[spike1]

i really don't think ebay is using the camera info against us. unless the camera serial number is there in the properties. to check what info is stored on your image:


in windows

goto your pictures folder

right click on a photo

select properties

in the upper tab goto summary

click advanced.

there you will see all the info stored with the photo.

on mine it shows what model camera but not the serial number. they sold tons of that model camera so i am not worried at all

[newebayerwannabe]

true. It shouldnt be a problem.

[x2ruff4u]

just print screen ur window paste it in paint shop or adobe, then go from there o.o Ur pc does not store that information only the date created and modified, which is when u paste it at that moment n save it.

[kasabian]

Originally Posted by x2ruff4u

just print screen ur window paste it in paint shop or adobe, then go from there o.o Ur pc does not store that information only the date created and modified, which is when u paste it at that moment n save it.

Excellent idea.

[mr burns]

Originally Posted by mr burns

I think this was what happened to me the other day when i took a pic with a camera i used on my origanal suspened account,then wham! within 1/2hr suspended. I went nuts at my wife as i thought it was an error from her using the computer,but when i added up the ends i told her it could have been the pic that i uploaded from the camera.

Well i know now that this is true
i have sold a few items on this account and this mornning i listed a item with a photo i used from the camera i used last time
1/2 hr later suspended so it can only be this.
I dont know what info the pic is sending but i have found that using pics off the net seems to be the better way of listing.

[newebayerwannabe]

Nah not true I have used pics from a banned account and lam still going.

[Cachufleta]

Sorry if this was discussed before,
but it is known that your camera model is stored on each photo you take.

Probably over paranoid here, but maybe it can be the final proof a T&S pig would need to link your accs.

Is there a program to remove this information from a group of jpg?

.

[jscan]

you can never be to carefull ey, i usually photoshop my final photos and just rename them

[Cachufleta]

NO! Your CAMERA MODEL and parameters used to TAKE the pic are stored *INSIDE the* picture ! not useful to just rename the pic.

Im watching now at picassa "properties" over one pic
and displays this fields with the actual info:

Created by camera:
Model of camera:
Date on camera:
Resolution:
Used Flash?:
Focal lenght:
Aperture:
ISO:
JPEG Quality:
White balances:
Exclusive ID:

and more technical items.

AGAIN THIS INFO IS STORED INSIDE EACH PICTURE YOU TAKE!!

If I were a T&S pig I would use your camera model & fixed settings (jpeg quality maybe, the other varies from pic 2 pic) and link your accounts by this... all your pictures will have stamped inside the same information on different ebay accounts unless you took'em with different cameras which is not 98% of our case I bet..

So just another thing to worry about it seems..

Soon I will think of changing my fingerprints.. what the..

[Cachufleta]

I found the tool I was looking for and wanted to share;

Exif Tag Remover - Freeware metadata delete utility
(freeware)

EXIF is the portion of your picture where sensitive information is stored that can track you down. Besides privacy benefits, it saves around 6k of picture size. And the tool works without sacrificing picture quality.

If you want to know a little bit more about why using this tool is a MUST, read this article:
Hidden Data in JPEG Files

(for example of how a celebrity was found naked in a pic that was cropped because of pic thumbnail embedded in metatag!)

Earlier on I was able to link 2 EB accounts I was suspecting
he was the same guy. Very thorough this seller, however the piccies gave him in (camera model, shooting parameters, time&date pictures taken).

I am not saying ebay runs this kind of searches -which is unlikely to happen-, but I think it is realistic that it could be a final step to link you if they already have other things on your accounts.