Field notes
- August 15, 2026
What Stable Diffusion, ComfyUI, and A1111 write into your PNGs
Your generated PNG carries the full prompt, negative prompt, seed, sampler, CFG, model hash — and in ComfyUI's case the entire node graph, sometimes including local file paths. Here's how to read it, and how to strip it.
- August 14, 2026
Your camera's serial number is in every photo you've posted
GPS gets all the attention, but the serial number buried in your EXIF is the tag that links your anonymous account to your real one. Here's which cameras write it, why most EXIF removers miss it, and how to check.
- August 9, 2026
Why your iPhone photos still have location data when GPS is off
You turned off Location Services for Camera and the photo still knows where you were. Here are the four separate places iOS records location, which ones the toggle actually covers, and how to check a file yourself.
- August 8, 2026
C2PA Content Credentials: what's actually inside, and how to remove them
C2PA is cryptographically signed and tamper-evident, and it still comes off with a re-encode. Here's what a manifest stores, where each file format hides it, why removal isn't forgery, and how to verify a file is clean.
- August 7, 2026
Which platforms strip EXIF metadata — and why it doesn't protect you
Reddit, Instagram, X, Discord, Telegram and WhatsApp all handle photo metadata differently. Here's what each one does, the distinction almost every guide gets wrong, and how to test any platform yourself in two minutes.
- May 27, 2026
How to remove metadata from MP4, Reels, and TikToks in your browser
MP4 files carry C2PA 'Made with AI' tags, GPS, device IDs, and platform watermarks in their udta and meta atoms. Here's how to strip them entirely client-side, with no upload and no quality loss.
- May 24, 2026
How to remove the 'Made with AI' label on Instagram & Facebook
Meta tags images with 'Made with AI' when they detect C2PA content credentials embedded by tools like Firefly, Photoshop, and DALL·E. Here's how to strip those credentials in your browser before posting.
- May 21, 2026
What ChatGPT and DALL·E embed in your generated images
ChatGPT-generated PNGs carry C2PA content credentials, OpenAI provenance, and platform metadata. Here's exactly what's in there — and how to strip it without uploading the file anywhere.
- May 20, 2026
Why a browser canvas wipes C2PA credentials
C2PA content credentials look unbreakable on paper. In practice they're attached to a file format, not to the pixels — which is why a 5-line canvas re-encode drops them on the floor.