strip metadata

.env.example

@@ -40,3 +40,8 @@ RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_MS=60000
 # X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for). Never enable this when
 # clients can reach the server directly - they could spoof the header.
 TRUST_PROXY=0
+
+# Strip embedded metadata (EXIF/GPS/author/comments, video moov/udta, EBML
+# Tags, etc.) from uploaded images and videos on the server. Best-effort:
+# unrecognized or unparseable formats are stored untouched. Set 0 to disable.
+STRIP_METADATA=1

HOSTING.md

@@ -254,4 +254,8 @@ Files in `storage/` are untouched by updates and keep working.
   at 48h) and are swept hourly. Deletion also requires possession of the key
   (`DELETE /api/files/:id` with `X-Delete-Key`).
 - Uploads are rejected with `503 try again later` when the storage filesystem is
-  more than 50% full (configurable via `MAX_STORAGE_USAGE`).
+  more than 50% full (configurable via `MAX_STORAGE_USAGE`).
+- Embedded metadata (EXIF/GPS/author/comments, video `moov`/`udta`, EBML
+  `Tags`, AVI `INFO`) is stripped server-side by default for recognized image
+  and video formats. Unparseable or unrecognized files are stored untouched
+  (never corrupted). Disable with `STRIP_METADATA=0`.

README.md

@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ Copy `backend/.env.example` to `.env` and edit it.
 | `RATE_LIMIT_MAX`       | `300`             | Max requests per window.                       |
 | `RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_MS` | `60000`           | Window in milliseconds.                        |
 | `TRUST_PROXY`          | `0`               | Enable behind a proxy (`X-Forwarded-For`).     |
+| `STRIP_METADATA`       | `1`               | Strip embedded EXIF/GPS/author/comments and video metadata server-side. |
 
 ## API
 

backend/.env.example

@@ -34,3 +34,8 @@ RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_MS=60000
 
 # Set 1 only behind a proxy that sets X-Forwarded-For.
 TRUST_PROXY=0
+
+# Strip embedded metadata (EXIF/GPS/author/comments, video moov/udta, EBML
+# Tags, etc.) from uploaded images and videos on the server. Best-effort:
+# unrecognized or unparseable formats are stored untouched. Set 0 to disable.
+STRIP_METADATA=1

backend/src/config.rs

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ pub struct Config {
     pub rate_limit_max: usize,
     pub rate_limit_window_ms: u64,
     pub trust_proxy: bool,
+    pub strip_metadata: bool,
 }
 
 pub fn parse_size(value: &str) -> Result<u64, String> {
@@ -117,6 +118,7 @@ pub fn load() -> Result<Config, String> {
 
     let trust_proxy = bool_from_env(env("TRUST_PROXY").as_deref(), false);
     let rate_limit_enabled = bool_from_env(env("RATE_LIMIT_ENABLED").as_deref(), true);
+    let strip_metadata = bool_from_env(env("STRIP_METADATA").as_deref(), true);
 
     let public_base_url = match env("PUBLIC_BASE_URL") {
         Some(raw) => {
@@ -147,5 +149,6 @@ pub fn load() -> Result<Config, String> {
         rate_limit_max,
         rate_limit_window_ms,
         trust_proxy,
+        strip_metadata,
     })
 }

backend/src/main.rs

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ mod ratelimit;
 mod routes;
 mod security;
 mod storage;
+mod strip;
 
 use std::net::SocketAddr;
 use std::sync::Arc;

backend/src/routes/upload.rs

@@ -114,6 +114,20 @@ pub async fn upload(
                         outcome = Outcome::Internal;
                         break 'fields;
                     }
+
+                    // Strip embedded metadata (EXIF/GPS/author/comments) when
+                    // enabled. Best-effort: on unknown format or parse failure
+                    // the original file is kept untouched.
+                    if state.config.strip_metadata && size <= state.storage.strip_limit() {
+                        match state.storage.strip_file(&id).await {
+                            Ok(Some(new_size)) => size = new_size,
+                            Ok(None) => {}
+                            Err(_) => {
+                                outcome = Outcome::Internal;
+                                break 'fields;
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
                 }
             } else {
                 while let Ok(Some(_)) = field.chunk().await {}

backend/src/storage.rs

@@ -90,6 +90,38 @@ impl Storage {
         self.files_dir.join(format!("{id}.part"))
     }
 
+    /// Files above this size are never buffered into memory for metadata
+    /// stripping (too large). They pass through untouched.
+    pub fn strip_limit(&self) -> u64 {
+        256 * 1024 * 1024
+    }
+
+    /// Best-effort in-band metadata stripping. Reads the stored file, produces
+    /// a metadata-free copy via `crate::strip::strip`, and atomically replaces
+    /// the original only when stripping actually succeeds and shrinks the file.
+    ///
+    /// Returns `Ok(Some(new_size))` on success, `Ok(None)` when the file was
+    /// left untouched (unknown format / unparseable / no metadata), or `Err` on
+    /// an I/O failure that the caller should treat as a fatal upload error.
+    pub async fn strip_file(&self, id: &str) -> std::io::Result<Option<u64>> {
+        let path = self.file_path(id);
+        let data = tokio::fs::read(&path).await?;
+
+        let Some(stripped) = crate::strip::strip(&data) else {
+            return Ok(None);
+        };
+
+        // Never write a larger or empty result; the original is authoritative.
+        if stripped.is_empty() || stripped.len() >= data.len() {
+            return Ok(None);
+        }
+
+        let tmp = self.files_dir.join(format!("{id}.strip"));
+        tokio::fs::write(&tmp, &stripped).await?;
+        tokio::fs::rename(&tmp, &path).await?;
+        Ok(Some(stripped.len() as u64))
+    }
+
     fn meta_path(&self, id: &str) -> PathBuf {
         self.metadata_dir.join(format!("{id}.json"))
     }

backend/src/strip.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,886 @@
+//! Best-effort in-band metadata stripper.
+//!
+//! Removes embedded metadata (EXIF, XMP, GPS, comments, ICC, timestamps, video
+//! `moov/udta`, EBML `Tags`, AVI `LIST INFO`, ...) from common media formats.
+//!
+//! The policy is **safe**: if a format is not recognized, or a structure cannot
+//! be parsed reliably, the original bytes are returned untouched. We never risk
+//! corrupting a file by half-parsing it.
+
+/// Returns `Some(stripped_bytes)` if `data` was recognized and successfully
+/// rewritten without metadata, or `None` if the format is unknown / parsing
+/// failed (caller keeps the original).
+pub fn strip(data: &[u8]) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+    if data.is_empty() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    detect_and_strip(data)
+}
+
+fn detect_and_strip(data: &[u8]) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+    if data.len() >= 3 && &data[0..3] == b"\xff\xd8\xff" {
+        return jpeg::strip(data);
+    }
+    if data.len() >= 8 && &data[0..8] == b"\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\n" {
+        return png::strip(data);
+    }
+    if data.len() >= 12 && &data[0..4] == b"RIFF" && &data[8..12] == b"WEBP" {
+        return webp::strip(data);
+    }
+    if data.len() >= 6 && (&data[0..6] == b"GIF87a" || &data[0..6] == b"GIF89a") {
+        return gif::strip(data);
+    }
+    if data.len() >= 4 && &data[0..4] == b"\x1a\x45\xdf\xa3" {
+        return ebml::strip(data);
+    }
+    if data.len() >= 12 && &data[4..8] == b"ftyp" {
+        return mp4::strip(data);
+    }
+    if data.len() >= 12 && &data[0..4] == b"RIFF" && &data[8..12] == b"AVI " {
+        return avi::strip(data);
+    }
+    None
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// JPEG — remove EXIF / XMP / IPTC / ICC / comment segments.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+mod jpeg {
+    use super::*;
+
+    pub fn strip(data: &[u8]) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+        let mut out = Vec::with_capacity(data.len());
+        let mut i = 2usize; // skip SOI (0xFFD8)
+        // Copy SOI marker.
+        out.extend_from_slice(&data[0..2]);
+
+        let mut saw_sos = false;
+        while i + 1 < data.len() {
+            // In scan data (after SOS) we copy verbatim until EOI.
+            if saw_sos {
+                out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..]);
+                break;
+            }
+            if data[i] != 0xFF {
+                return None;
+            }
+            // Skip fill bytes.
+            let marker = data[i + 1];
+            if marker == 0xFF {
+                i += 1;
+                continue;
+            }
+            // Standalone markers (no length field).
+            if matches!(marker, 0x01) || (0xD0..=0xD7).contains(&marker) {
+                out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + 2]);
+                i += 2;
+                continue;
+            }
+            // SOS: copy marker + length, then everything after is scan data.
+            if marker == 0xDA {
+                if i + 4 > data.len() {
+                    return None;
+                }
+                let len = read_u16(data, i + 2)? as usize;
+                if i + 2 + len > data.len() {
+                    return None;
+                }
+                out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + 2 + len]);
+                i += 2 + len;
+                saw_sos = true;
+                continue;
+            }
+            if marker == 0xD9 {
+                // EOI
+                out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + 2]);
+                break;
+            }
+            // Any other marker with a length field.
+            if i + 4 > data.len() {
+                return None;
+            }
+            let len = read_u16(data, i + 2)? as usize;
+            if len < 2 || i + 2 + len > data.len() {
+                return None;
+            }
+            // Segments to drop: APP1 (EXIF/XMP), APP2 (ICC/FPXR), APP13 (IPTC),
+            // APP4 (FPX), APP5/6/7/10, APP11 (JPEG-HDR), APP12 (PictureInfo),
+            // COM (comment).
+            let drop = match marker {
+                0xE0 => false, // APP0 — JFIF / potentially AVIF, keep neutral JFIF
+                0xE1 | 0xE2 | 0xED | 0xEE | 0xE4 | 0xE5 | 0xE6 | 0xE7 | 0xEA
+                | 0xEB | 0xEC | 0xFE => true,
+                _ => false,
+            };
+            if !drop {
+                out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + 2 + len]);
+            }
+            i += 2 + len;
+        }
+
+        // Ensure we ended with EOI; otherwise bail (keep original).
+        if out.len() < 2 || out[out.len() - 2] != 0xFF || out[out.len() - 1] != 0xD9 {
+            return None;
+        }
+        Some(out)
+    }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// PNG — remove text / time / eXIf chunks.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+mod png {
+    use super::*;
+
+    const DROP: &[&[u8; 4]] = &[
+        b"tEXt", b"zTXt", b"iTXt", b"tIME", b"eXIf", b"iCCP", b"sRGB", b"gAMA", b"cHRM",
+    ];
+
+    fn is_drop(ty: &[u8; 4]) -> bool {
+        DROP.iter().any(|d| *d == ty)
+    }
+
+    pub fn strip(data: &[u8]) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+        let mut out = Vec::with_capacity(data.len());
+        out.extend_from_slice(&data[0..8]); // signature
+        let mut i = 8usize;
+        while i + 8 <= data.len() {
+            let len = read_u32(data, i)? as usize;
+            let ty: &[u8; 4] = data[i + 4..i + 8].try_into().ok()?;
+            // 12 bytes header (len + type + crc) + len data
+            if i + 12 + len > data.len() {
+                return None;
+            }
+            let total = 12 + len;
+            if is_drop(ty) {
+                i += total;
+                continue;
+            }
+            out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + total]);
+            i += total;
+            if ty == b"IEND" {
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+        // Require IEND to have been reached.
+        if out.len() < 12 || &out[out.len() - 8..out.len() - 4] != b"IEND" {
+            return None;
+        }
+        Some(out)
+    }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// WebP — remove EXIF / XMP chunks.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+mod webp {
+    use super::*;
+
+    pub fn strip(data: &[u8]) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+        let mut out = Vec::with_capacity(data.len());
+        out.extend_from_slice(&data[0..12]); // RIFF header + WEBP
+        let mut i = 12usize;
+
+        // Flags we clear from the VP8X header when dropping metadata chunks.
+        // 0x20 = ICC, 0x08 = EXIF, 0x04 = XMP.
+        const META_FLAGS: u8 = 0x20 | 0x08 | 0x04;
+
+        while i + 8 <= data.len() {
+            let tag = &data[i..i + 4];
+            let size = read_u32_le(data, i + 4)? as usize;
+            if i + 8 + size > data.len() {
+                return None;
+            }
+            let padded = size + (size & 1);
+            let chunk_size = 8 + padded;
+
+            let drop = tag == b"EXIF" || tag == b"XMP " || tag == b"ICCP";
+            if tag == b"VP8X" {
+                // Keep VP8X but clear the metadata flags.
+                if size < 1 {
+                    return None;
+                }
+                out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + 8]);
+                let mut flags = data[i + 8];
+                flags &= !META_FLAGS;
+                out.push(flags);
+                out.extend_from_slice(&data[i + 9..i + 8 + size]);
+            } else if !drop {
+                out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + chunk_size]);
+            }
+            i += chunk_size;
+        }
+        // Patch the RIFF total size field.
+        let riff_size = (out.len() - 8) as u32;
+        out[4..8].copy_from_slice(&riff_size.to_le_bytes());
+        Some(out)
+    }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// GIF — remove comment & application extensions.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+mod gif {
+    pub fn strip(data: &[u8]) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+        let mut out = Vec::with_capacity(data.len());
+        out.extend_from_slice(&data[0..6]); // header
+        let mut i = 6usize;
+
+        // Logical screen descriptor (7 bytes).
+        if i + 7 > data.len() {
+            return None;
+        }
+        let packed = data[i + 4];
+        out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + 7]);
+        i += 7;
+
+        // Global color table (GCT), if present. GCT is NOT metadata; keep it.
+        if packed & 0x80 != 0 {
+            let gct_len = 3 * (1 << ((packed & 0x07) + 1));
+            if i + gct_len > data.len() {
+                return None;
+            }
+            out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + gct_len]);
+            i += gct_len;
+        }
+
+        while i < data.len() {
+            match data[i] {
+                0x3B => {
+                    // Trailer
+                    out.push(data[i]);
+                    break;
+                }
+                0x21 => {
+                    // Extension introducer
+                    if i + 1 >= data.len() {
+                        return None;
+                    }
+                    let label = data[i + 1];
+                    // Drop comment (0xFE) and application (0xFF) extension blocks.
+                    if label == 0xFE || label == 0xFF {
+                        i += 2;
+                        i = skip_gif_subblocks(data, i)?;
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                    // Other extensions (graphic control 0xF9, plain text 0x01):
+                    // copy the whole block verbatim.
+                    i += 2;
+                    while i < data.len() {
+                        let n = data[i] as usize;
+                        out.push(data[i]);
+                        i += 1;
+                        if n == 0 {
+                            break;
+                        }
+                        if i + n > data.len() {
+                            return None;
+                        }
+                        out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + n]);
+                        i += n;
+                    }
+                }
+                0x2C => {
+                    // Image descriptor (10 bytes) + LZW data. Copy verbatim;
+                    // it does not carry identity metadata.
+                    if i + 10 > data.len() {
+                        return None;
+                    }
+                    let img_packed = data[i + 9];
+                    out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + 10]);
+                    i += 10;
+
+                    // Local color table (LCT), if present.
+                    if img_packed & 0x80 != 0 {
+                        let lct_len = 3 * (1 << ((img_packed & 0x07) + 1));
+                        if i + lct_len > data.len() {
+                            return None;
+                        }
+                        out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + lct_len]);
+                        i += lct_len;
+                    }
+
+                    // LZW minimum code size.
+                    if i >= data.len() {
+                        return None;
+                    }
+                    out.push(data[i]);
+                    i += 1;
+
+                    // Image data sub-blocks.
+                    while i < data.len() {
+                        let n = data[i] as usize;
+                        out.push(data[i]);
+                        i += 1;
+                        if n == 0 {
+                            break;
+                        }
+                        if i + n > data.len() {
+                            return None;
+                        }
+                        out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + n]);
+                        i += n;
+                    }
+                }
+                _ => {
+                    // Unknown descriptor; bail and keep original.
+                    return None;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        Some(out)
+    }
+
+    fn skip_gif_subblocks(data: &[u8], mut i: usize) -> Option<usize> {
+        while i < data.len() {
+            let n = data[i] as usize;
+            i += 1;
+            if n == 0 {
+                return Some(i);
+            }
+            if i + n > data.len() {
+                return None;
+            }
+            i += n;
+        }
+        None
+    }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// EBML / Matroska / WebM — drop Tags / Metadata-mapped elements.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+mod ebml {
+    use super::*;
+
+    pub fn strip(data: &[u8]) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+        // The `Tags` element (0x1254C367) is in the top-level (Segment) scope.
+        // We do a conservative top-level scan: copy the EBML header and the
+        // Segment but drop any top-level `Tags` element. Top-level children are
+        // SeekHead, Info, Tracks, Chapters, Cluster, Cues, Attachments, Tags.
+        // We rely on element IDs being present; on any parse ambiguity, bail.
+        let mut out = Vec::with_capacity(data.len());
+        let mut i = 0usize;
+
+        // EBML header element (ID 0x1A45DFA3).
+        let (id, size, hdr_len) = read_ebml_element(data, i)?;
+        if id != 0x1A45DFA3 {
+            return None;
+        }
+        let header_end = hdr_len + (size as usize);
+        if header_end > data.len() {
+            return None;
+        }
+        out.extend_from_slice(&data[0..header_end]);
+        i = header_end;
+
+        // Segment element (ID 0x18538067).
+        let (id, size, _hdr_len) = read_ebml_element(data, i)?;
+        if id != 0x18538067 {
+            return None;
+        }
+        let seg_id_len = ebml_id_len(data, i)?;
+        let seg_size_len = ebml_size_len(data, i + seg_id_len)?;
+        let seg_hdr_len = seg_id_len + seg_size_len;
+        let seg_data_start = i + seg_hdr_len;
+        let seg_data_end = if size == u64::MAX {
+            data.len()
+        } else {
+            (seg_data_start + size as usize).min(data.len())
+        };
+        if seg_data_end > data.len() {
+            return None;
+        }
+
+        // Copy segment ID, store size-field width, then rebuild children.
+        let seg_size_encoded = size;
+        let seg_id_bytes = &data[i..i + seg_id_len];
+        out.extend_from_slice(seg_id_bytes);
+
+        // Build children body (drop Tags).
+        let mut body = Vec::new();
+        let mut j = seg_data_start;
+        // Element IDs for Tag-bearing metadata children of Segment.
+        // Tags = 0x1254C367, Chapters = 0x1043A770, Attachments = 0x1941A469.
+        while j < seg_data_end {
+            let (id2, size2, hdr_len2) = read_ebml_element(data, j)?;
+            if size2 == u64::MAX {
+                // Nested unknown-size child: too ambiguous, keep original.
+                return None;
+            }
+            let elem_end = hdr_len2 + (size2 as usize);
+            if elem_end > seg_data_end {
+                // Malformed; keep original.
+                return None;
+            }
+            if id2 == 0x1254C367 || id2 == 0x1043A770 || id2 == 0x1941A469 {
+                j = elem_end;
+                continue;
+            }
+            body.extend_from_slice(&data[j..elem_end]);
+            j = elem_end;
+        }
+
+        // Re-encode segment length field with the same width as the source.
+        if seg_size_encoded == u64::MAX {
+            // Unknown size -> single-byte 0x01 (all-ones style).
+            out.push(0x01);
+        } else {
+            out.extend_from_slice(&encode_ebml_size(body.len() as u64, seg_size_len)?);
+        }
+        out.extend_from_slice(&body);
+        Some(out)
+    }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// ISO BMFF (MP4/MOV/M4V) — drop moov/udta/meta (and ilst) boxes.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+mod mp4 {
+    use super::*;
+
+    pub fn strip(data: &[u8]) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+        // Recursively rebuild the box list at top level, dropping metadata
+        // boxes inside `moov`. We edit in-place structurally, preserving the
+        // relative media data untouched (mdat is kept verbatim).
+        let mut out = Vec::with_capacity(data.len());
+        let mut i = 0usize;
+        while i + 8 <= data.len() {
+            let (size, hdr_len, ty) = read_box(data, i)?;
+            let box_end = if size == 0 {
+                data.len()
+            } else if size == 1 {
+                let largesize = read_u64(data, i + 8)?;
+                (i + largesize as usize).min(data.len())
+            } else {
+                (i + size as usize).min(data.len())
+            };
+            if box_end > data.len() || box_end < i {
+                return None;
+            }
+            if ty == *b"moov" {
+                let body = &data[i + hdr_len..box_end];
+                let new_body = strip_moov(body)?;
+                // Rebuild moov box with new size.
+                out.extend_from_slice(&build_box(b"moov", &new_body));
+            } else {
+                out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..box_end]);
+            }
+            i = box_end;
+        }
+        Some(out)
+    }
+
+    fn strip_moov(body: &[u8]) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+        let mut out = Vec::with_capacity(body.len());
+        let mut i = 0usize;
+        while i + 8 <= body.len() {
+            let (size, hdr_len, ty) = read_box(body, i)?;
+            let box_end = if size == 0 {
+                body.len()
+            } else if size == 1 {
+                let largesize = read_u64(body, i + 8)?;
+                (i + largesize as usize).min(body.len())
+            } else {
+                (i + size as usize).min(body.len())
+            };
+            if box_end > body.len() || box_end < i {
+                return None;
+            }
+            // Drop metadata-bearing boxes.
+            if ty == *b"udta" || ty == *b"meta" {
+                i = box_end;
+                continue;
+            }
+            // `trak` contains `udta` too: recurse into it.
+            if ty == *b"trak" {
+                let inner = &body[i + hdr_len..box_end];
+                let new_inner = strip_trak(inner)?;
+                out.extend_from_slice(&build_box(b"trak", &new_inner));
+                i = box_end;
+                continue;
+            }
+            out.extend_from_slice(&body[i..box_end]);
+            i = box_end;
+        }
+        Some(out)
+    }
+
+    fn strip_trak(body: &[u8]) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+        let mut out = Vec::with_capacity(body.len());
+        let mut i = 0usize;
+        while i + 8 <= body.len() {
+            let (size, _hdr_len, ty) = read_box(body, i)?;
+            let box_end = if size == 0 {
+                body.len()
+            } else if size == 1 {
+                let largesize = read_u64(body, i + 8)?;
+                (i + largesize as usize).min(body.len())
+            } else {
+                (i + size as usize).min(body.len())
+            };
+            if box_end > body.len() || box_end < i {
+                return None;
+            }
+            if ty == *b"udta" || ty == *b"meta" {
+                i = box_end;
+                continue;
+            }
+            out.extend_from_slice(&body[i..box_end]);
+            i = box_end;
+        }
+        Some(out)
+    }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// AVI (RIFF/Audio-Video Interleave) — drop LIST INFO / JUNK / IDIT.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+mod avi {
+    use super::*;
+
+    pub fn strip(data: &[u8]) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+        let mut out = Vec::with_capacity(data.len());
+        out.extend_from_slice(&data[0..12]); // RIFF + size + AVI
+        let mut i = 12usize;
+        while i + 8 <= data.len() {
+            let id = &data[i..i + 4];
+            let size = read_u32_le(data, i + 4)? as usize;
+            let padded = size + (size & 1);
+            if i + 8 + padded > data.len() {
+                return None;
+            }
+            if id == b"LIST" {
+                if i + 12 <= data.len() {
+                    let list_type = &data[i + 8..i + 12];
+                    if list_type == b"INFO" || list_type == b"JUNK" {
+                        i += 8 + padded;
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            // `IDIT` chunk (encrypted digital interface time) is metadata.
+            if id == b"IDIT" {
+                i += 8 + padded;
+                continue;
+            }
+            out.extend_from_slice(&data[i..i + 8 + padded]);
+            i += 8 + padded;
+        }
+        // Patch RIFF size in header.
+        let new_size = (out.len() - 8) as u32;
+        out[4..8].copy_from_slice(&new_size.to_le_bytes());
+        Some(out)
+    }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Common byte readers / writers.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+fn read_u16(data: &[u8], i: usize) -> Option<u16> {
+    Some(u16::from_be_bytes([*data.get(i)?, *data.get(i + 1)?]))
+}
+
+fn read_u32(data: &[u8], i: usize) -> Option<u32> {
+    Some(u32::from_be_bytes([
+        *data.get(i)?,
+        *data.get(i + 1)?,
+        *data.get(i + 2)?,
+        *data.get(i + 3)?,
+    ]))
+}
+
+fn read_u32_le(data: &[u8], i: usize) -> Option<u32> {
+    Some(u32::from_le_bytes([
+        *data.get(i)?,
+        *data.get(i + 1)?,
+        *data.get(i + 2)?,
+        *data.get(i + 3)?,
+    ]))
+}
+
+fn read_u64(data: &[u8], i: usize) -> Option<u64> {
+    Some(u64::from_be_bytes([
+        *data.get(i)?,
+        *data.get(i + 1)?,
+        *data.get(i + 2)?,
+        *data.get(i + 3)?,
+        *data.get(i + 4)?,
+        *data.get(i + 5)?,
+        *data.get(i + 6)?,
+        *data.get(i + 7)?,
+    ]))
+}
+
+// --- ISO BMFF box ----------------------------------------------------------
+
+fn read_box(data: &[u8], i: usize) -> Option<(u64, usize, [u8; 4])> {
+    if i + 8 > data.len() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let size32 = read_u32(data, i)? as u64;
+    let mut ty = [0u8; 4];
+    ty.copy_from_slice(&data[i + 4..i + 8]);
+    match size32 {
+        0 => Some((0, 8, ty)),
+        1 => {
+            if i + 16 > data.len() {
+                return None;
+            }
+            let largesize = read_u64(data, i + 8)?;
+            Some((largesize, 16, ty))
+        }
+        n if n < 8 => None,
+        n => Some((n, 8, ty)),
+    }
+}
+
+fn build_box(ty: &[u8; 4], body: &[u8]) -> Vec<u8> {
+    let mut out = Vec::with_capacity(8 + body.len());
+    out.extend_from_slice(&((8 + body.len()) as u32).to_be_bytes());
+    out.extend_from_slice(ty);
+    out.extend_from_slice(body);
+    out
+}
+
+// --- EBML -------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+fn ebml_id_len(data: &[u8], i: usize) -> Option<usize> {
+    let first = *data.get(i)?;
+    let mut len = 1usize;
+    let mut mask = 0x80u8;
+    while mask != 0 && first & mask == 0 {
+        len += 1;
+        mask >>= 1;
+    }
+    if len > 4 {
+        return None;
+    }
+    Some(len)
+}
+
+fn ebml_size_len(data: &[u8], i: usize) -> Option<usize> {
+    let first = *data.get(i)?;
+    let mut len = 1usize;
+    let mut mask = 0x80u8;
+    while mask != 0 && first & mask == 0 {
+        len += 1;
+        mask >>= 1;
+    }
+    if len > 8 {
+        return None;
+    }
+    Some(len)
+}
+
+/// Returns (element_id, size, header_len). `size` is the payload length after
+/// the header, or `u64::MAX` for unknown-size elements. The element id is
+/// decoded with its leading length-marker bit cleared.
+fn read_ebml_element(data: &[u8], i: usize) -> Option<(u64, u64, usize)> {
+    let id_len = ebml_id_len(data, i)?;
+    let id_bytes = &data.get(i..i + id_len)?;
+    // Clear the leading length-marker bit in the first byte before decoding.
+    let mut id = 0u64;
+    for (idx, b) in id_bytes.iter().enumerate() {
+        let mut v = *b;
+        if idx == 0 {
+            v &= 0x7F >> (id_len - 1);
+        }
+        id = (id << 8) | v as u64;
+    }
+
+    let si = i + id_len;
+    let size_len = ebml_size_len(data, si)?;
+    let size_bytes = &data.get(si..si + size_len)?;
+
+    // Unknown-size: first byte is 0x01 followed by all-1s (e.g. 0x01 0xFF...).
+    // The first byte after clearing the marker is zero and the rest are all 1s.
+    let mut size = 0u64;
+    for (idx, b) in size_bytes.iter().enumerate() {
+        let mut v = *b;
+        if idx == 0 {
+            v &= 0x7F >> (size_len - 1);
+        }
+        size = (size << 8) | v as u64;
+    }
+
+    // Detect all-ones payload (unknown size).
+    let unknown = size_bytes
+        .iter()
+        .enumerate()
+        .all(|(idx, b)| {
+            if idx == 0 {
+                *b & (0x7F >> (size_len - 1)) == 0
+            } else {
+                *b == 0xFF
+            }
+        });
+    let size = if unknown { u64::MAX } else { size };
+    Some((id, size, id_len + size_len))
+}
+
+fn encode_ebml_size(value: u64, width: usize) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
+    if width == 0 || width > 8 {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let mut out = vec![0u8; width];
+    for k in 0..width {
+        out[width - 1 - k] = (value >> (8 * k)) as u8;
+    }
+    // Set the leading marker bit (most-significant bit of first byte).
+    out[0] |= 0x80 >> (width - 1);
+    Some(out)
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    fn crc32(data: &[u8]) -> u32 {
+        let mut crc: u32 = 0xFFFF_FFFF;
+        for &b in data {
+            crc ^= b as u32;
+            for _ in 0..8 {
+                crc = if crc & 1 != 0 { (crc >> 1) ^ 0xEDB8_8320 } else { crc >> 1 };
+            }
+        }
+        !crc
+    }
+
+    fn png_chunk(ty: &[u8; 4], payload: &[u8]) -> Vec<u8> {
+        let mut out = Vec::new();
+        out.extend_from_slice(&(payload.len() as u32).to_be_bytes());
+        out.extend_from_slice(ty);
+        out.extend_from_slice(payload);
+        let mut crc_input = Vec::with_capacity(4 + payload.len());
+        crc_input.extend_from_slice(ty);
+        crc_input.extend_from_slice(payload);
+        out.extend_from_slice(&crc32(&crc_input).to_be_bytes());
+        out
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn png_strips_text_chunk() {
+        let mut data = b"\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\n".to_vec();
+        data.extend_from_slice(&png_chunk(b"IHDR", &[0; 13]));
+        data.extend_from_slice(&png_chunk(b"tEXt", b"Comment\0secret-author"));
+        data.extend_from_slice(&png_chunk(b"IDAT", &[1, 2, 3, 4]));
+        data.extend_from_slice(&png_chunk(b"IEND", &[]));
+
+        let stripped = strip(&data).expect("should strip");
+        assert!(!stripped.windows(4).any(|w| w == b"tEXt"));
+        assert!(stripped.windows(4).any(|w| w == b"IEND"));
+        assert!(stripped.len() < data.len());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unknown_format_returns_none() {
+        assert!(strip(b"hello world this is random data").is_none());
+        assert!(strip(b"").is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn gif_strips_comment_and_application_extensions() {
+        // GIF89a header + LSD (no GCT) + comment ext + application ext + trailer
+        let mut data = b"GIF89a".to_vec();
+        data.extend_from_slice(&[1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0]); // LSD w/o GCT
+
+        // Comment extension (0x21 0xFE ...)
+        data.push(0x21);
+        data.push(0xFE);
+        data.push(6);
+        data.extend_from_slice(b"secret");
+        data.push(0);
+
+        // Application extension (0x21 0xFF ...)
+        data.push(0x21);
+        data.push(0xFF);
+        data.push(11);
+        data.extend_from_slice(b"NETSCAPE2.0");
+        data.push(3);
+        data.extend_from_slice(&[1, 0, 0]);
+        data.push(0);
+
+        data.push(0x3B); // trailer
+
+        let stripped = strip(&data).expect("should strip");
+        assert!(!stripped.windows(2).any(|w| w == [0x21, 0xFE]));
+        assert!(!stripped.windows(2).any(|w| w == [0x21, 0xFF]));
+        assert_eq!(stripped.last(), Some(&0x3B));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn jpeg_strips_app1_exif() {
+        // SOI + APP1(EXIF) + EOI
+        let mut data = b"\xff\xd8\xff".to_vec();
+        data.push(0xE1); // APP1
+        data.extend_from_slice(&8u16.to_be_bytes()); // length = 2 + 6 payload
+        data.extend_from_slice(b"Exif\0\0");
+        data.extend_from_slice(&[0xFF, 0xD9]); // EOI
+
+        let stripped = strip(&data).expect("should strip");
+        assert_eq!(&stripped, b"\xff\xd8\xff\xd9");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn webp_strips_exif_xmp() {
+        // RIFF + WEBP + VP8X chunk + EXIF chunk + XMP chunk
+        let mut data = b"RIFF".to_vec();
+        data.extend_from_slice(&0u32.to_le_bytes()); // size patched later
+        data.extend_from_slice(b"WEBP");
+
+        // VP8X header (flags = ICC|EXIF|XMP|alpha)
+        let mut vp8x = Vec::new();
+        vp8x.push(0x20 | 0x08 | 0x04 | 0x10); // flags
+        vp8x.extend_from_slice(&[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]); // rest of 10-byte payload
+        data.extend_from_slice(b"VP8X");
+        data.extend_from_slice(&(vp8x.len() as u32).to_le_bytes());
+        data.extend_from_slice(&vp8x);
+
+        // EXIF chunk
+        data.extend_from_slice(b"EXIF");
+        data.extend_from_slice(&6u32.to_le_bytes());
+        data.extend_from_slice(b"Exif\0\0");
+
+        // XMP chunk
+        data.extend_from_slice(b"XMP ");
+        data.extend_from_slice(&4u32.to_le_bytes());
+        data.extend_from_slice(b"xml!"); // 4-byte payload
+
+        // Patch RIFF size
+        let riff = (data.len() - 8) as u32;
+        data[4..8].copy_from_slice(&riff.to_le_bytes());
+
+        let stripped = strip(&data).expect("should strip");
+        assert!(!stripped.windows(4).any(|w| w == b"EXIF"));
+        assert!(!stripped.windows(4).any(|w| w == b"XMP "));
+        assert!(stripped.windows(4).any(|w| w == b"VP8X"));
+        // VP8X flags should have metadata bits cleared.
+        let vp8x_pos = stripped.windows(4).position(|w| w == b"VP8X").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(stripped[vp8x_pos + 8] & 0x2C, 0);
+    }
+
+    // Real-media smoke test. Only runs when pre-generated files exist under
+    // /tmp/meta_test; otherwise it silently skips (CI-safe).
+    #[test]
+    fn strip_real_media_when_present() {
+        for name in ["test.jpg", "test.png", "test.mp4"] {
+            let path = std::path::Path::new("/tmp/meta_test").join(name);
+            let Ok(data) = std::fs::read(&path) else {
+                continue;
+            };
+            let Some(stripped) = strip(&data) else {
+                eprintln!("{name}: not stripped (unknown/unparseable format) — kept original");
+                continue;
+            };
+            // Stripping must never grow the file, and must still be valid enough
+            // to be non-empty.
+            assert!(!stripped.is_empty());
+            assert!(stripped.len() <= data.len());
+            let out_path = std::path::Path::new("/tmp/meta_test").join(format!("{name}.stripped"));
+            std::fs::write(&out_path, &stripped).ok();
+            eprintln!("{name}: {} -> {} bytes", data.len(), stripped.len());
+        }
+    }
+}