Labs · 🟢 Local sample verified · 1 November 2026 · Viewer and cleaner compared
Discord image lab: what can you verify before the file is sent?
Before a JPEG goes to Discord, where are GPS and camera model stored, and are they gone after a local clean?
Before a Discord send, the local JPEG sample contained GPS and camera fields. The cleaned copy did not. A file someone saves later is a different copy and does not replace this comparison. Clean the copy in this browser before sending. The file stays on this device and is not uploaded to this site.
The file you can open now is the one still on this device. Whatever someone downloads from Discord afterward is a separate copy and a separate question.
Short answer
Direct answer: the local sample contained GPS and camera fields, and the cleaned copy did not. That is a file comparison, not a rule for every Discord client.
- What was measured: On 1 November 2026 the viewer read GPS near 35°N, 135°E and camera-style fields. The cleaner copy no longer had them.
- What that does not prove: A saved attachment, if you have one, shows only that download. It does not replace reading the original, and it does not inventory a server.
- What you can do first: Clean the copy in this browser before the file leaves the device. Nothing is uploaded to this site.
🟢 Local sample verified · 1 November 2026 · Viewer and cleaner compared
- Published
- Last updated
- Last tested
Before and after a local clean
Sample dated 2026-11-01. The viewer read location and camera fields. The cleaned file no longer has them. The file stayed on this device.
| Field | Local sample (viewer) | Cleaned copy (cleaner) |
|---|---|---|
| GPS / location | 35 deg 0' 0.00" N, 135 deg 0' 0.00" E | No GPS |
| EXIF | EXIF present (camera make, model, and settings) | EXIF fields cleared |
| Camera information | Camera make and model present | Camera make and model removed |
| Timestamps | 2026:11:01 18:00:00 | Capture time removed |
| Provenance / C2PA | JUMBF APP11 and a C2PA container | No C2PA or JUMBF container |
| Recompression / resize | 378,066 bytes, with location and the metadata above | 361,097 bytes; metadata removed, image scans unchanged |
GPS / location
The viewer read 35 deg 0' 0.00" N, 135 deg 0' 0.00" E. The cleaned file had no GPS.
EXIF
The viewer read a camera make, a model, and the capture time 2026:11:01 18:00:00. The cleaned file had no EXIF.
Test environment
Chrome 156.0.8078.47 and ExifTool 12.76. The file stayed on this device. Nothing was uploaded.
How to test your own file
- Record SHA-256, dimensions, EXIF, XMP and any C2PA on a non-sensitive JPEG.
- Upload to a private test channel from a recorded client version.
- Download the attachment as another user would.
- Compare hash, size, dimensions and metadata.
- Repeat for file upload vs. image upload if the client exposes both.
Methodology
Every published result has to follow the same protocol: a known source file, a recorded hash, a specific upload path, and a downloaded copy. Folklore does not count.
Privacy implications
If a photo still has GPS, camera serials, or timestamps you do not want in a server, strip them before upload. Waiting for Discord to “handle it” is not a control you can verify.