Is "IPTC Digest d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e" in the exif data proof for...?

[Robin21]

Dear all!

I have a picture I received that has the
IPTC Digest
d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e line.
 
The picture does not contain too much EXIF data, what concerns me is the lack of creation date.

See picture.

How is this possible? Is that line can be a proof that the picture has been modified with an image editing software? Or the exif data had been erased?

Thank you in advance!

[Phil Harvey]

That IPTC digest matches the CurrentIPTCDigest, so the IPTC didn't exist when the IPTCDigest was written.

The file has definitely been modified, but I can't easily say whether or not the image was changed.

- Phil

[StarGeek]

I do not believe that any image taken directly from a camera will have an IPTCDigest tag, so it's almost a certainty that the image metadata has been altered.

The IPTCDigest has nothing to do with EXIF data.  It is a checksum of the IPTC IIM/Legacy data and is used to compare such data to the matching XMP data.  If there is a discrepancy, it shows that the data is no longer in sync.

If I recall correctly, an IPTCDigest with a value of d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e is the correct value for when a file has no IPTC data.

[Robin21]

That IPTC digest matches the CurrentIPTCDigest, so the IPTC didn't exist when the IPTCDigest was written.

The file has definitely been modified, but I can't easily say whether or not the image was changed.

- Phil

Thanks Phil!

And I guess the only way a photo taken with a mobile phone and does not contain a creation date if it was wiped?

I'm really curious how this will play out, because the photo in question was taken via a car-sharing app, that I used and now they want to make me pay for a damage I didn't cause.

Allegedly they say, all the saved photos contain the metadata, however, only my photos do really contain all the vital information. The person who took the first photo is a colleague of this company, so he could have access to the source files.

This is my photo with complete EXIF data, taken with the same mobile app.

It is very strange indeed...

[StarGeek]

And I guess the only way a photo taken with a mobile phone and does not contain a creation date if it was wiped?

It depends upon the app used.  Some apps will not include any metadata, either for privacy reasons (WhatsApp, for example) or because the programmers didn't bother to include code to write such details.

[Robin21]

And I guess the only way a photo taken with a mobile phone and does not contain a creation date if it was wiped?

It depends upon the app used.  Some apps will not include any metadata, either for privacy reasons (WhatsApp, for example) or because the programmers didn't bother to include code to write such details.

But then all photos should contain those or none of them. Mine has all the data that was sent through the app, but the other picture (sent with the same app) only has the resolution data.