If this sounds like your week
EXIF is a file format feature that became a privacy footgun.
“Strip XMP Dublin Core creator fields before cloud upload” is not about hating metadata; it is about controlling it with tools that match the stakes. Editors shipping folders often inherit embedded attribution and location fields that downstream contracts forbid.
Where tooling usually breaks
Copy-paste forum advice does not scale to 20,000 frames.
One wrong flag, one missed field, one “it looked fine in Preview” moment is enough.
The invisible payload
Image looks fine in viewer EXIF: GPS, body, lens, software Client sees: the photo Internet sees: the rest MetaForge: strip on disk