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Thread: Questions of meaning of Exif Data on Pictures

  1. #1
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    Questions of meaning of Exif Data on Pictures

    Let me try this again with a photo, and see if it helps. I have some questions regarding the picture below; If you open the picture inside an Exif data/Metadata viewer, the "picture being taken day" shows up as 9/11/2001.

    What does this mean? "Picture being taken day?"



    Thanks-
    Phil

  2. #2
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Hi Phil, and welcome to AO...........well from me at least, I have been a bit busy of late

    The "time taken" is just that................ but is very easily spoofed (faked), or is wrong because of the default settings when you first use a camera.

    What is your "real question" mate?.............I really do hate it when people try to piss with my intelligence

  3. #3
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    Not pissing with your intelligence. There is something odd about this pictures exif data and was just trying to understand what. How can it possibly have the "picture being taken day" of 9/12 when it is a 9/11 victim?

    I guess that is my first question about it. Would appreciate any help anyone can give to shed light on this for me.

    Sincerely,
    Phil
    Last edited by Phil Jayhan; June 10th, 2010 at 07:41 AM.

  4. #4
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Hi Phil,

    It is the camera settings...............

    I have an old 2.1 megapixel one that predates 9/11. When I change the batteries it resets itself to 2010, and starts counting from there.

    You have to reset the time and date each time you change the batteries.

    When you do reset the date you can set it incorrectly.........9/11 and 9/12 are just one click apart?

    It is just like your CMOS battery in a PC............. when that fails, the machine reverts to 1 January 1900 (when Apple thought the World started ) or 1 January 1970 (PCs).

    Cheap cameras don't even have a resident CMOS battery equivalent, so you have to reset the time/date whenever you change the disposable alkaline cells.

    Obviously, the date can be deliberately set incorrectly, but it is most likely inadvertent in this case.

    If you set your camera not to display the date on your photos, you might well not notice?

    I hope that answers your question.


  5. #5
    Gonzo District BOFH westin's Avatar
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    It gets really interesting when you find GPS coords in the metadata..... :-P
    \"Those of us that had been up all night were in no mood for coffee and donuts, we wanted strong drink.\"

    -HST

  6. #6
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Another thought about EXIF data is that it was never intended for forensics, so if you download a photo without taking precautions to preserve the date it will default to the current system date.

    And don't forget that if the data are there to be viewed, they are also there to be tampered with.

    It gets really interesting when you find GPS coords in the metadata..... :-P
    You own a camera that expensive?..............you get paid too much

  7. #7
    Gonzo District BOFH westin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nihil View Post
    You own a camera that expensive?..............you get paid too much
    No, but anyone that owns an iPhone does!

    edit: Here is a link: http://techmaster.wordpress.com/2008...ata-in-photos/
    Last edited by westin; June 16th, 2010 at 06:55 AM.
    \"Those of us that had been up all night were in no mood for coffee and donuts, we wanted strong drink.\"

    -HST

  8. #8
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    OK, I think that I now have the answer.

    How can it possibly have the "picture being taken day" of 9/12 when it is a 9/11 victim?
    basically the EXIF data is wrongly described.........it should be something like "date image created".

    If you look in the right hand margin you will see the caption (Family Photo/AP) I think that AP is "Associated Press" which is an agency.

    The special instruction reads: Los Angeles Times Out. Best Quality Available.

    Given the lack of photographic data in the EXIF record, I would say it was probably a scan of a regular photograph.

  9. #9
    Disgruntled Postal Worker fourdc's Avatar
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    gps coords

    I sat through a forensics seminar that was run by the NY State Police. They had a jpg picture of a car. They then showed the metadata. It had the GPS coord, the Iphone ser # as well as other damning data.

    Basically if the bad guys aren't smart enough to scrub the metadata before posting "bad" pictures, then it's real easy for the good guys to catch them

    Of course the Buffalo, NY PD got caught because they got rid of some copiers that had hard drives with images of all the evidence they photocopied over the years. So the "tech" can be bad or good for the "law."
    ddddc

    "Somehow saying I told you so just doesn't cover it" Will Smith in I, Robot

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