Does social media remove metadata from photosMany platforms strip or change it on upload, but behaviour varies and can change

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

Many social platforms remove or alter photo metadata such as EXIF location when you upload, but not all do, and what each keeps can change over time. Messaging apps and file-sharing sites differ again. To be sure, post a test photo, download it and inspect the file, and do not rely on a platform to protect your location.

What usually happens

Photos can carry metadata such as camera model, time and GPS location (see what is EXIF data). Many platforms re-compress images on upload and drop some or all of it before displaying them, partly for privacy. Others keep parts, and behaviour differs between a post, a direct message and a file you send as a document. Platforms change their handling without notice, so treat any list as out of date quickly.

Stripping also cuts the other way. If you want your original photo to carry its capture details as evidence, a re-uploaded copy may no longer have them. See can photo metadata be faked.

What you can do

Remove location yourself before sharing with the photo metadata remover, and keep the untouched original. A TimeBind records a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact file and a time, anchored to Bitcoin. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file is not uploaded. See how to prove when a photo was taken.

A TimeBind shows a file existed by a recorded time and has not changed since. It does not show where or by whom a photo was taken.

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

Does posting a photo reveal my location?

It can, if metadata with GPS is kept or the image shows landmarks. Remove location data first if in doubt.

Is a screenshot free of metadata?

It does not carry the original photo’s camera or GPS data, but it has its own details, such as the screenshot time.

Does metadata prove who took a photo?

No. Metadata can be missing or edited, so it is a clue, not proof.

How can I check what a platform kept?

Download the posted image and view its metadata with a viewer you trust, comparing it with your original.

Sources

TimeBinder, What is EXIF data?.
TimeBinder, Photo metadata remover.

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.