When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.

The holiday season is a time for sharing, be it presents, food, or arguments.

Many of us travel to visit friends and family, and enjoy posting records of this on social media.

Photo of glitterball, watch, and glasses of champagne

Image: How to edit photo metadata on iPhone

Before posting anything on social media, you should consider who can see it.

Reducing the amount of information about you visible on your social media account is another recommended action.

Avoid posting where you work and live, and where and when you were born or went to school.

Image of person holding phone with social media graphics surrounding

Image: How to edit photo metadata on iPhone

Firstly, you should avoid publicly posting your travel plans.

Protecting your photo metadata may sound confusing, but it is actually simpler than you think.

An example of metadata is the date and time the media was taken, as well as the location.

Screenshots of how to edit photo metadata on iPhone

Image: How to edit photo metadata on iPhone

So turning off location prefs and disabling location tagging when taking photos or filming is a good tip.

If you are sharing online, then apps are also available to remove the metadata.

You should also respect your family or friend’s privacy and be wary of background details.

Smartphone on table displaying voice cloning in progress message

These can be an incentive for criminals, and could put you at risk.

“For instance, audio recordings could be analyzed to mimic speech patterns, tone, and mannerisms.

In such situations, it becomes incredibly difficult not to believe what you see and hear.”

Hooded cybercriminal sitting with laptop surround by hooks

Its important to stay mindful of how your shared content may be repurposed or accessed in the future.

Fake shopsare another popular scamming tactic used by cybercriminals.

They replicate the sites of popular online retailers and trick you into entering your personal information.

Black and white photo of a woman, with her eyes obscured by pixels

you’re able to best protect yourself from online scams by purchasing some of thebest antivirus software.

Other providers, includingIPVanish, andExpressVPN, offer a form of threat protection.

ExpressVPN also offers an identity protection feature known asIdentity Defender.

A person typing on a computer while hackers use phishing to steal a file from their computer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses.

For example: 1.

Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).

Graphic of smartphone with cybersecurity shield

Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services.

Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, X, LinkedIn, Reddit, TikTok, Threads apps on an iPhone

mobile security

Surfshark graphic of 2024 data breaches

iPhone 16 Pro shown held in hand

A woman�s hands holding a smartphone with a lock symbol on it, in front of a laptop that also has a lock symbol on it.

A hacker typing quickly on a keyboard

An open lock depicting a data breach

A person holding a Nintendo Switch 2 playing Mario Kart World

2025 Rivian R1S Tri-Motor test drive review.

ChatGPT generated image

Garmin Vivoactive 6 in emerald green with the Morning Report shown on the screen

2025 Toyota bZ4X at New York Auto Show.

Fire TV interface on the Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd gen)