Beware of Fingerprints in your Cannabis Pictures.

[Guest]

hmmmm...I didn't even think about that digital camera fingerprint thing.

Now when I buy a digi cam I have to pay with cash.

Good lookin' out fellas

 

[Jesusbuiltmygro]

Sorry, but I don't think so. Now I don't work with fingerprint technology, but I think common sense can tell us that the average badly taken megapixel camera has no where near the resolution to get a fingerprint from unless you've specifically tried to take a picture of your fingerprint.

Until digital cameras advance they have the same focus limitation as the old cameras. That is either a image is in focus or it is not. Images not in focus will NEVER present detail on the level of a fingerprint. Eventually digital cameras will have multiple lenses and take multi focus shots which might make accidentally getting a pic of your finger print a more reasonable problem.

Here I'll do the research for you.

http://www.c3.lanl.gov/~brislawn/FBI/FBI.html

A single finger print in the FBI database takes of an amazing 10 megs of data !

Even if you took a pic of your finger at full quality.. once you compressed it to jpeg the quality would no longer be good enough to get the print.. and that's even if you purposely focus on your fingerprint and take enough pics till one turns out right.

So I don't see how you could possibly upload your fingerprint. You'd have to seriously go out of your way to do it and even then the forum probably wouldn't accept the file until it was compressed using the common jpeg or GIF compression methods making it virtually impossible to upload a fingerprint.

I think you'd have to upload the pic in such high quality to get a useable fingerprint that the forum would easily say no you can't upload a full quality uncompressed 20 meg file and no forum on the internet will probably allow something like that. Almost all sites will want jpeg or some other type of compressed format which will ruin the very fine detail of the pic.

You'd certainly have to at the very least have focus on the fingerprint and then almost certainly upload it in full uncompressed quality. For humans it might still look like a fingerprint, but for the computers that match them only a few bits screwed up due to compression will make it unreaded.

Partial prints are much different. A partial print is in full quality and the law agencies have programs that use specialized algorithms to match prints. This is far more possible with high quality samples and algorithms made specifically for partial matches. I would be much harder to match from low quality samples if not completely impossible and it is almost certainly out of the technical possibilities of the existing fingerprint system. Unlike things such as photo restoration or compression, which work on the principle of tricking the human eye, removing or adding invalid data to a finger print (such as compression) makes it look completely different to the computer thats trying to do the match. I think it's impossible with todays technology since fingerprints are never in perfect focus and since almost every pic on the internet has been compressed to save hard drive space and bandwidth. So what you would get would be an out of focus blur with a bunch of invalid bits(or spots if you want to imagine them visually) in the image file.

 

[Berry_Coughin']

Jesus----> it wouldn't be hard ... they'd literally just cut, paste, and run... NCIC is a database that has any fingerprint ever documented..... in seconds they'll match it if it can.... if you've ever been booked into jail, or been to prison, you are on the NCIC..... watch your photos people.....

The NCIC is the Federal database... anytime someone is booked or an inmate released, fingerprints are "scanned" not ink and pad... and photos are taken "digital" of scars and tattoos... this is uploaded instantly.....

States have there own version of a statewide tracking of known criminals and such a database of fingerprints.....

 

[TGT]

I have seen many pictures that show finger prints plain as can be. Now that I want to show some I can't find any - go figure. Anyhow, a digital picture today is easy to record a print, just it's not too common to have the right circumstances, but it does happen as I have seen numerous times. And I also believe it would be easy to identify someone if they really wanted to from a picture print. I have been working in photography for years, and digital pictures and camera's of all kinds. It is possible.

TGT

 

[HappyHemphog]

Yea well the digital pictures themselves are encoded with serial numbers that of course belong to only that specific camera ( like a firearm bullet signature).........by the way every digital camera does this as do all printers and faxes and digital recorders ...then i would think most cameras are linked to a name from the point of purchase .........and the police use the serial numbers all the time to link people to crimes.....

The code used to upload photos here at IC Mag specifically strips out the extra data encoded into images by cameras.

The only way a digital camera serial number can be linked to you is via your sending in the stupid warranty registration card. When you purchased your camera, either by credit or cash, did you notice the clerk record the serial of the camera? I didn't think so. And no, it's not encoded into the UPC symbol the register used to ring up the purchase.

Pictures will rarely be used to catch you, the more likely scenario is they will be added to the evidence already compiled on you after your arrested. Only if you post clearly identifiable information in your photos that could be used to directly identify you are you going to have an issue. And none of you do that do you? I hope not.

Cheers!
Hempy

 

[Guest]

Nice to see ya around hempy!

 

[BUDDY BOY]

I seen this on CSI:Miami yesterday.... Makes ya wonder!!

 

[tokinsmokin]

Yeah for the whole time I have been on pot forums, which is about 5 years, I have never had any fingerprints in any pictures for this exact reason. If the grow is big enough it would be worth their time to do this.

 

[Guest]

The code used to upload photos here at IC Mag specifically strips out the extra data encoded into images by cameras.

The only way a digital camera serial number can be linked to you is via your sending in the stupid warranty registration card. When you purchased your camera, either by credit or cash, did you notice the clerk record the serial of the camera? I didn't think so. And no, it's not encoded into the UPC symbol the register used to ring up the purchase.

Pictures will rarely be used to catch you, the more likely scenario is they will be added to the evidence already compiled on you after your arrested. Only if you post clearly identifiable information in your photos that could be used to directly identify you are you going to have an issue. And none of you do that do you? I hope not.

Cheers!
Hempy

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good info hempy. if true i'm sure alot of posters here can rest a lil easier
knowin they can post pics without bein stamped.

 

[Guest]

Barcodes were mentioned twice in this thread....

While barcodes can be unique, only one in the world....

the barcodes on products are made of a barcode called the upc....

it contains the company number and product nbr....

all barcodes for the same product and size are exactly the same....

like a can of tomato soup all have the same barcode....

where they can be unique would be like on a receipt....

would include the store nbr time and any thing else they might like....

a bar code on a product no more identifies it uniquely than the label....

 

[Guest]

fuck the man here is a whole hand get to work piggys...i have been posting pics of my fingers for years...bad boys bad boys what ya going to do when i illegally pimp slap you...lol

 

[Guest]

heheh, brainthor. love to see sticky fingers.

 

[bounty29]

Uploading pictures here definitely doesn't destroy the exif data (Hint: brainthor - How's your Sony Cybershot working for ya?)

That's one thing I've become wary about recently, I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about it. Download any picture from any gallery on this site, and then put it through an exif reader (many available for free) and it'll give you gobs of information. I can't do anything with it, but I'm sure people know how to.

 

[Guest]

I'd say the only ones that should be worried are those with their prints on file already...and are committing some major crimes. That or if you have a large amount of convictions already and they're trying to put you away for some reason.

Unless they're filing prints from pix.
If your prints are linked to dope pix and you're picked up & printed for an unrelated crime in the future, those pix may come back to haunt you.

Don't worry too much though, I've never heard of anyone being busted from pix of their fingers.

 

[HappyHemphog]

Uploading pictures here definitely doesn't destroy the exif data (Hint: brainthor - How's your Sony Cybershot working for ya?)

That's one thing I've become wary about recently, I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about it. Download any picture from any gallery on this site, and then put it through an exif reader (many available for free) and it'll give you gobs of information. I can't do anything with it, but I'm sure people know how to.

You know what? Your absolutely correct. It appears that the EXIF data is not being stripped from photos loaded directly from cameras without any post editing.

I edit all my files to add my copyright and when I save the file back out I strip the EXIF data. Go ahead bounty, download one of my photos and tell me what camera I'm using.

For those concerned about EXIF data in your images, there is a free utility called ImageMagick that can strip it from a folder full of images. You need to use the command line utility, there's no fancy interface.

I am disappointed to learn about this as I am sure GN or OP had posted that the EXIF data was in fact being stripped.

Hempy

 

[Guest]

its working great notice the date...seriously who cares if you know what kind of camera i own...i am paranoid but not over pictures

Uploading pictures here definitely doesn't destroy the exif data (Hint: brainthor - How's your Sony Cybershot working for ya?)

That's one thing I've become wary about recently, I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about it. Download any picture from any gallery on this site, and then put it through an exif reader (many available for free) and it'll give you gobs of information. I can't do anything with it, but I'm sure people know how to.

 

[bounty29]

There's more information there than what type of camera you own. Things like the exact date and time, and the camera's serial number is something you should care about. Did you pay for that camera in cash? If not, then it can probably be traced to you somehow.

Better safe than sorry, and in this area, I sure as hell don't want to be sorry.

Edit: I'm wrong, sorry. I thought I had read somewhere that serial #s are included in Exif, but that seems to be an option you can enable, but by default isn't included.

Edit 2: I'm half wrong. I've found multiple pictures on these forums that do include serial numbers. Not all cameras do this, but some do. Be aware.

 

[HappyHemphog]

There's more information there than what type of camera you own. Things like the exact date and time, and the camera's serial number is something you should care about. Did you pay for that camera in cash? If not, then it can probably be traced to you somehow.

Better safe than sorry, and in this area, I sure as hell don't want to be sorry.

Stop spreading FUD. I did not see any serial numbers in any of the EXIF data I viewed for others photos. Besides, unless you sent in warranty card, they cannot trace the serial number to your purchase, cash or otherwise.

Time and date? Big deal, this information has no use.

You are also aware that the data in the EXIF block can be altered to anything you want? I can make it look like I took a digital photo of someone and time stamp it 1884 if I wanted to.

Bottom line, the EXIF data in a digital photo will NOT be used to bust you. It MAY be used as evidence, but only if the person who originally took the photo will testify to it's authenticity. Now your not going to tell the judge you took the photo are you? Good, I didn't think so.

Skunky

 

[Guest]

thats funny my date and time says we are in the future i must have a time machine

There's more information there than what type of camera you own. Things like the exact date and time, and the camera's serial number is something you should care about. Did you pay for that camera in cash? If not, then it can probably be traced to you somehow.

Better safe than sorry, and in this area, I sure as hell don't want to be sorry.

 

[bounty29]

Alright, I was wrong. I'm not saying things like these are going to get people busted, but I'm saying it would sure help.

Most people don't even know what Exif is, and these people won't know to change the data in it. If the forum doesn't strip it, then it's still there. If they have one little identifying thing in their picture they didn't mean to, it can be bad. To sum it up... People that know Exif can be altered know better, it's the people that don't that can have problems.

All the little things add up, and the people that forget all the little things are the ones that get in trouble. Time and date can very well have a use, maybe not in pictures of buds sitting on a table, but broader shots where people forget to edit things out.

You guys aren't worried about it though, so whatever, has no effect on me.

Edit: After doing some more looking around, some cameras do insert the serial number into Exif data. Canon Digital Rebel XT is one that I've come across.

Edit 2: And yes, I've found serial numbers from pictures on these forums. Oh well, doesn't matter right?