What is EXIF data in a photoCamera settings and details saved inside the image file, easy to edit or remove

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes.

The file stays on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of the file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

Short answer

EXIF data is information a camera or phone saves inside a photo file: date and time, camera model, exposure settings and sometimes GPS location. It helps with sorting and checking, but it can be edited or removed, so treat it as a clue and not as proof.

What is stored, and what to watch for

EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a block of metadata stored inside many JPEG and some other image files. Typical fields are the date and time of capture, camera or phone model, lens, exposure settings and orientation. If location services were on, it can also hold GPS coordinates.

You can usually read it by opening the file’s properties or Get Info, or with a metadata viewer. Editing programs can add their own name, and many social platforms strip most EXIF when you upload.

Two practical points. First, privacy: a photo shared directly may reveal where it was taken, so remove location data before posting if that matters; our photo metadata remover works in your browser. Second, trust: because anyone can change these fields, EXIF is a clue about a photo, not proof of when or where it was taken. See can photo metadata be faked? and EXIF metadata vs a timestamp.

When you need a date that does not depend on EXIF

A TimeBind dates the exact file instead of trusting its internal fields. It records a SHA-256 fingerprint and a time, anchored to Bitcoin; the fingerprint is made in your browser and the file is not uploaded. It shows the file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches.

It does not verify the EXIF inside the photo, who took it, or where.

Make a TimeBind: first one free →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Frequently asked questions

What does EXIF stand for?

Exchangeable Image File Format. It is a standard way for cameras and phones to store details such as date, camera model and settings inside an image file.

Does EXIF data include my location?

It can, if location services were on when the photo was taken. Check or remove it before sharing a photo if you do not want to reveal where it was taken.

Can EXIF data be changed?

Yes. It can be edited, copied from another photo or removed with common tools, so it is not proof of when or where a photo was taken.

Does a TimeBind use or check EXIF data?

No. A TimeBind fingerprints the whole file and records a time. It does not read or verify the EXIF inside it.

Sources

TimeBinder, Photo metadata remover.
TimeBinder, EXIF metadata vs timestamp.

Related guides and tools

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Record a fingerprint of the file you rely on

Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your files. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

Open TimeBinder →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.