Metadata is a complex topic, mainly because it has many different purposes. On one hand, sorting and organizing images would be difficult without metadata. Even a small number of image files can become cluttered if not organized properly. And when the number of images is multiplied, that’s when things get out of hand. Metadata enables users to quickly organize photos based on specific data categories such as location, size, date, or author. But just like how metadata is useful for accessibility reasons, it also has the potential to be a privacy nightmare.
From what we can observe, photos taken from a device running Calyx OS will still store image metadata. This serves the same purpose mentioned earlier, and it appears that the metadata is collected, but it is not shared unless you choose to.
Calyx OS comes with a bunch of great privacy tools for you to use as soon as you set your device up. One of these apps is called “Scrambled Exif”, and it allows you to remove the metadata from your photos before sharing them.To remove the metadata from a picture, simply share it like you’d normally do and choose “Scrambled Exif”. A moment later, the share ‘dialog’ will reappear. Now just share with the app you intended to share with in the first place and your photo will be metadata free!