What is the purpose of removing EXIF information from a JPEG image in PHP?

The purpose of removing EXIF information from a JPEG image in PHP is to protect the privacy of users by removing potentially sensitive metadata such as GPS coordinates, camera model, and date and time of the photo. This can be particularly important when sharing images online to prevent unauthorized access to this information.

// Load the image
$image = imagecreatefromjpeg('image.jpg');

// Remove EXIF data
if(function_exists('exif_read_data')) {
    $exif = @exif_read_data('image.jpg');
    if($exif !== false) {
        $exif = null;
    }
}

// Save the modified image
imagejpeg($image, 'image_without_exif.jpg');

// Free up memory
imagedestroy($image);