Protecting Images Using EXIF Tags

I've seen it mentioned a few times that people embed their copyright info into their images using EXIF tags and then are able to detect if other sites use their images because of this by searching for what they put into those tags as long as they remained intact. Any truth to this? I've yet to find a search engine that actually indexes EXIF data into their databases.

I THINK it's done more by the IPTC data and than the EXIF data alone. I might be wrong though. In Photoshop CS4, you can add whatever data you want under File > File Info. There is software out there that will batch all that data for you, too. I don't have links to those. Sorry.

Regardless of what you embed in your image, I can strip it all out with any photo editor.

tkbslc wrote in post #9421882
Regardless of what you embed in your image, I can strip it all out with any photo editor.

Yeah it's pretty easy to strip anything out and even replace it with something else but I was looking at it as something that could be useful to an extent.

tkbslc wrote in post #9421882
Regardless of what you embed in your image, I can strip it all out with any photo editor.

Chances are, the majority of scum out there that would steal the images don't know how to strip the information.

tfd888 wrote in post #9421993
Yeah it's pretty easy to strip anything out and even replace it with something else but I was looking at it as something that could be useful to an extent.

Its useful to an extent if you can do it without taking up too much time and effort. Such as doing it in batches. If it takes tool long its not worth it as it is about the same as protecting a print with a sticky note.

There is a web site where you can upload an image and their search engine will find places where it has been posted. I'll see if I can find it.

I know TinEye (tineye.com) has a program to search for images, though it only has a relatively small search base (not quite the extent of google), but is definitely a useful website to use all the same.

Anything that you do can be undone by someone, & you aren't going to get appreciable damages from those yahoos. But I think it's important that you demonstrate the intent to protect the image. Then, if it finds it's way to someone with deep pockets, you have firmer legal grounds to stand on.

It helps to have that data in there but like what others have said. You can remove it with any editor. It does help show intent to protect the image as Frank said.

subscribing, didnt know you could do that...thanks

And don't forget that some image hosting sites will automatically strip out the exif data.

krb wrote in post #9427292
And don't forget that some image hosting sites will automatically strip out the exif data.

Which ones? It would be nice to know.

bsaber wrote in post #9427373
Which ones? It would be nice to know.

I don't have an exif viewer in this comp to check, but I'm pretty sure flickr strips it out, for the re-sized images if not for the original.