Remove specific ID3 tags
A hot issue is the removal of the PRIV entry in the ID3v2 tag. If you buy your MP3 from an online shop, PRIV often contains coded information about your identity. If anyone gets a copy of the file and shares it, there is a potential that this can cause legal problems for the person who has originally bought it. ID3 tag editors do not show it. So how can you remove the tag?
Using id3.exe
The tiny command line tool id3.exe (download here) is perfect for managing hidden MP3 tags.Usage: Start->Run->type "cmd" for command line->move to the directory which contains id3.exe (with "cd" command)->type (example):
id3.exe -2 -rPRIV c:mp3*.mp3
Using eyeD3 with Python
EyeD3 is a powerful tool for managing ID3 tags. But if you are not familiar with the Python language this can get complicated. First you must install Python. This can be done on the official download page.. But the easiest way with Windows is using the Microsoft store. Python will be installed in%AppData%/Local/Programs/Python/Python310/python.exe
Now you are ready to use Python command line statements either in the Windows Power Shell or after starting cmd.exe (search for it). A quick check can be done with python -V showing the version. If this does not work, check if the Python directory already appears in the Windows PATH environment variable. If not: add it. Plase note: This is the usual Windows command line mode. If you type python (run python.exe) you will see a different prompt (>>>) ready for specific Python commands.
Now you can install eyeD3 with pip install eyeD3. The installer will download and install everything needed automatically. EyeD3 will be placed in a different directory for packages, in my case:
%AppData%/LocalPackages/PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.10_qbz5n2kfra8p0/LocalCache/local-packages/Python310/Scripts
Again, it helps to add this directory to the Windows PATH in order to make eyeD3 executable from any directory.
Now open the command prompt in your MP3 directory. Typing
eyeD3 --remove-frame PRIV .
... will start the process. This will remove the hidden stuff. However, there is also some vendor's information in the visible ID3-comments tag. For complete removal some sites recommend
eyeD3 --remove-frame PRIV --remove-all-comments *.mp3
But this had two issues: In my case there seemed to be something wrong with the wildcard. I got the error message file not found: *.mp3. And using . instead of *.mp3 resulted in an abortion of the script because of another tag. My solution: Install an ID3 tag editor and delete the ID3-comment-tags manually. By the way ID3 tags can even be altered in the Windows File Explorer using AudioShell. Unfortunately it is also complicated to prepare AudioShell for MP3 manipulation in Windows 10. But you will find instructions how to deal with it.