mug brownIn the past two issues we have explored the procedure known as “geotagging,” obtaining the location information on an Internet posting of a photograph, in order to trace a person or thing. In this issue we will close out this three-article examination of the geotag process by taking a look at some of the steps required to extract data and the software programs available to professional tracers which will make this process a viable tool for locating people and things.

The tracer should begin the geotag process by understanding that, in most instances, the geographical data accompanying a posted photograph will not be visible to the naked eye. The data must be deciphered by the use of photo sharing websites, various applications designed to extract geophysical data or other methods which seem to be appearing on a regular basis.

These deciphering programs, in most scenarios, will provide the tracer with the type of device used to take the photograph, the date and time the photograph was taken, the latitude and longitude coordinates of the location where the photograph was taken and then usually allows the tracer to use Google maps to identify the precise location of the depicted image.

I have read many articles and attended numerous skip tracing sessions by recognized tracers who continue to expound on this geotagging method of locating people and things but as of yet I have not seen a single demonstration of the actual procedures to successfully extract this geographical data from a posted photo. I often wonder if these self proclaimed “master tracers” make their income by lecturing and selling books rather than actually getting in the trenches and tracing. With that statement made I would like to provide a step-by-step program to enable you, the professional tracers who read these articles, to use this tracing tool proficiently on a daily basis.

Let’s begin with an easy method on one of the most common sites, Facebook. Remember what I told you in a previous article, for numerous reasons you will find many photographs with no geotag data which can be deciphered, so do not be disappointed when this occurs and just keep on trying.

Step one, find the photograph. Step two, keystroke “Options” at the bottom of the photo which will open up a small window. Step three, keystroke “Add Location.” This will open up a larger window on the right side of your screen and at the top type in the state or city where you think the photo may have been taken. Step four, open up a Google map which will show the location the photo was taken and will give the latitude and longitude. If this works correctly, the latitude and longitude will show up regardless of what you enter as the location. Step five, copy the latitude and longitude to a Google Earth map and there you have it. It seems like a pretty simple process but it took me many attempts to finally get this procedure to work. However, it does work when each step is done properly. There is an excellent YouTube presentation titled “How to Find the Geolocation of a Facebook Photo: Facebook Tips & Tricks” which explains this procedure in detail.

The next procedure we will discuss utilizes a web site designed to decipher the geophysical data embedded in a posted photograph, “Jeffrey’s Exif Viewer” which can be found at www.regex.info/exif. cgi. It is recommended that you use FireFox or another Gecko-based browser to get optimal use from this site. To utilize this deciphering site you must obtain the URL of the photograph. To obtain the photograph URL you must first pull up the image, right click which opens up a choice window, and select “Properties” which will open up another window providing the URL address. Copy the URL address being sure to scroll down when copying in order to get the full address. You then paste that address in the URL box in “Jeffrey’s Exif Viewer,” keystroke “Enter” and a window will open which will provide you with the full data embedded in the photograph. You may view a very in depth YouTube presentation regarding this site at “How To Find Location Information In A Digital Photo.”

I hope you have benefitted from the information presented in these three articles on geotagging and you now have a better understanding of what this technology is all about and how a professional tracer can utilize it to become more effective.

Until the next issue, good luck and good hunting!

Ron Brown is a member of the National Association of Fraud Investigators and the author of “MANHUNT: The Book.” Contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..