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CRITICAL: Add EXIF Data Stripping to User Image Uploads for Privacy Protection #802

@basantnema31

Description

@basantnema31

Description

When users upload photos of flora, fauna, or foraging locations directly from their mobile devices, the images often contain embedded EXIF metadata, including precise GPS coordinates. If this data is not stripped before the image is stored and served to other users, it creates a massive privacy vulnerability.

Impact

  • Inadvertent public exposure of a user's exact physical location or home address.
  • Severe violation of user privacy and potential non-compliance with privacy regulations.
  • Risk of physical stalking or unauthorized tracking.

Proposed Solution

  1. Implement an image processing middleware (such as \sharp\ or \exif-remove) on the backend upload route.
  2. Automatically strip all EXIF metadata from user-uploaded images before saving them to the storage bucket.
  3. Compress and optimize the images simultaneously to save bandwidth.

I am fully equipped to architect and implement this critical privacy feature.

/assign

Labels: gssoc, quality:exceptional, level:critical

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