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Where on Earth is John McAfee?

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John McAfee-- antivirus company founder, alleged fraudster, murder suspect. Man on the run. After the shooting of his neighbour on the Belizean island of Ambergis Caye, McAfee ran for it, even leaving the country for supposedly safer shores.

Mcafee ViceBut did the metadata on a very recent photo just reveal his current location?

On 3 December 2012, after a length of radio silence, McAfee posted a blog post saying "I am currently safe... We are not in Belize, but not quite in out of the woods yet."

Joining McAfee was Vice Magazine, with an announcement claiming "We Are With John McAfee Right Now, Suckers." The magazine says it is making an "absolutely epic" documentary on the stranger-than-fiction story. But that is not the interesting part! No, what is interesting is the photo the story includes, one of McAfee and Vice editor-in-chief Rocco Castoro.

The metadata embedded in the photo reveals not only how it was taken with an iPhone 4S, but also where it was taken-- Guatemala, at Parque Nacional Rio Dulce. Near Ranchon Mary restaurant. By the pool.

McAfee map

Mind, McAfee claims the he is actually not in Guatemala. In a second blog he says he actually "manipulated the xif data on the image" in order to hide his tracks. Clever!

Vice also removed the GPS coordinates from the photo in question soon afterwards.

In an even more bizarre twist, earlier last week news broke out on how McAfee was detained at the Belize-Mexico border-- but the McAfee blog says that actually a "double" (holding a North Korean passport under McAfee's name!) as part of an elaborate escape plan.

For those not in the know, John McAfee is on the run from Belizean authorities following the murder of his neighbour, American expatriate Gregory Faull. McAfee was long at odds with the local authorities, and was even accused of possessing unlicensed weapons and methamphetamine production back in May 2012.

Now McAfee treks on, deeper into the heart of darkness. We might learn more on the story not only from the forthcoming the Vice documentary, but also a comic book, a collaboration between cartoonist Chad Essley and McAfee himself. Curious and... curiouser?

Go We Are With John McAfee Right Now, Suckers (Vice Magazine)

Go John McAfee Blog

Go Wanted: McAfee Founder