cycletrader security issue - selling your bike safely

[562loosenoodle_imp]

I recently put my bike up for sale on cycletrader. I am sure many people on this forum have also tried to sell their bike on cycletrader. There is a major security threat present on their website.

The major security threat has to do with the photos you post of your bike. Whenever your phone takes a picture it embeds data INTO the photo file. This data is sometimes called meta data and/or exif data. This data can store all sorts of information. The information includes the phone you use, time and date in addition to other information. It also records your location at the time of capture.

If you have been keeping track of the insurrection on this date last year you can find many stories about the idiots posting pictures, which includes this data. This is one way of finding them.

What does this have to do with cycletrader? Well, as I mentioned that location data in your photo is posted as well. It is not stripped from the image as Instagram or Facebook does when you upload a photo.

Finally, if I go to a post on cycletrader, say this post…

https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2014...5018469556


I can download a photo and search google for exif data. Find a website that will read that data, and show me where the picture was taken. This means that I can normally find where people live. I am not a fan of people getting that data so easily.

There are tools that will strip exif data from photos. You can get apps for your phone that can help you with removing this extra data before you post your photos. Below are some sites that explain what I am writing about:

https://photographylife.com/what-is-exif-data

https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/...386546443/

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/file...-file.html

And then for people who want to see exif data in use here is this site.


https://projects.propublica.org/parler-capitol-videos/

[Cormanus]

Useful information, 562loosenoodle. Thanks. One can turn off geotagging—the GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken—on both Apple and Android phones. The collection of other metadata can not be so easily turned off.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Fortunately any images I post online, and in particular to CB1100 Forum, gets post-processed by me anyway. I very rarely post from camera, but I do like the GPS coordinates associated with the original image.

The same goes for other media like music and so on. Sanitization results in a facsimile of the of the original, which essentially all cases, is good enough.

[LongRanger_imp]

This is interesting. I’ve never been too concerned about folks knowing where I live. What I don’t understand is when people post photos of their bike and intentionally cover their license plate, as if it could lead someone to track them down. Yet they drive and park their vehicle on public roads every day.

If you Google your name, you’ll be stunned at how many sites list your address, phone number, age, names of relatives, etc. There’s no hiding from the public domain!

[the Ferret]

This is interesting. I’ve never been too concerned about folks knowing where I live. What I don’t understand is when people post photos of their bike and intentionally cover their license plate, as if it could lead someone to track them down. Yet they drive and park their vehicle on public roads every day.

If you Google your name, you’ll be stunned at how many sites list your address, phone number, age, names of relatives, etc. There’s no hiding from the public domain!

Indeed, it is very scary. There is no hiding, no privacy.

The best thing you can do is not advertise when you are going on vaction on things like Facebook, or post pictures while you are on vaca. Post them when you get back home.

[Houtman_imp]

This is interesting. I’ve never been too concerned about folks knowing where I live. What I don’t understand is when people post photos of their bike and intentionally cover their license plate, as if it could lead someone to track them down. Yet they drive and park their vehicle on public roads every day.

If you Google your name, you’ll be stunned at how many sites list your address, phone number, age, names of relatives, etc. There’s no hiding from the public domain!

I full agree with you on this one , I for one do not worry about these things .

[562loosenoodle_imp]

Knowing where you live is just the start. And a big step towards making a possible mess of your life. It could lead to many things, including mistaken identity.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technolog...y-rioters/

[Gone in 60]

Biggest issue I've ever had listing on Cycletrader is the fake text/email you'll get saying "I want to come see your bike, but I'd be much more comfortable if you can show me a VIN report. If you don't have a VIN report, you can order one here: xxxxxxx

[DaSwami_imp]

That's why I have a flip phone and use a regular digital camera for my for sale ads....

[GoldOxide_imp]

This is interesting. I’ve never been too concerned about folks knowing where I live. What I don’t understand is when people post photos of their bike and intentionally cover their license plate, as if it could lead someone to track them down. Yet they drive and park their vehicle on public roads every day.

If you Google your name, you’ll be stunned at how many sites list your address, phone number, age, names of relatives, etc. There’s no hiding from the public domain!

I reckon it minimizes the data from becoming unnecessarily globally accessed so rogue nations (and not so rogue) can complete their profile on an individual from the comfort of their hot tub.

It won't stop someone out to get you, but it will keep that teenager in that "other" country from skimming your credit card, or that bad ex-partner from putting your vehicle at a scene of a crime that you were nowhere near.