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

[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.

[karineh]

I am confused.

If i use exif tag remover to remove data from my old pictures (used pictures in suspended account) can i use them again in the new account safely

[NoneOther]

Personally I would not use them.

Even with exif data removed the human eye can still tell they are the same photos, which is what would happen if your account was manually reviewed.

[GTB]

keep your different accounts as unique as possible

including different pics on different account

[jpy295]

if the serial number comes off the camera with the picture though, wont that serial number be on every picture. and also they probably have something that can just scan auction pictures for the same serial number.