When conducting a personal risk assessment, what specific aspect of your online presence, beyond simple privacy settings, requires rigorous evaluation from a personal safety perspective?

Beyond simple privacy settings, a rigorous evaluation of your online presence for personal safety requires assessing the 'metadata' embedded within your posted photos and videos. Metadata is information automatically attached to digital files by cameras and smartphones, including the exact GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken, the date and time, and the device used. Attackers can extract this metadata using simple tools, revealing your home address, frequented locations, or daily routines, even if your profile is private. This is more critical than general privacy settings because metadata leaks location information regardless of account restrictions and represents a concrete, exploitable vulnerability.