John McAfee dumps VICE after photo metadata reveal; "Obviously, legal proceedings are under way."

A strange statement published on the vanity site whoismcafee.com:

Based on new information. Mr. McAfee is terminating his relationship with Vice Magazine. Due to information just received, It is no longer clear to Mr. McAfee that the “accidental” release of his co-ordinates due to Vice Magazine’s editorial department’s failure to remove location data from their now notorious photo, was indeed an accident. This incident led directly to Mr. McAfee’s arrest. The reason, possibly, was that Vice wanted exclusive access to Mr. McAfee’s arrest, which they in fact obtained and broadcast. This, and subsequent developments, including a breach of verbal contract, has led Mr. McAfee to terminate all contact with Vice.

Mr. McAfee does not believe that the two reporters travelling with him knew in advance, or in any way aided and abetted Vice’s plan to “out” him.

This blog will continue as normal beginning later this afternoon. Obviously, legal proceedings are under way.

Obviously.

For those new to the story, the antivirus company bajillionaire is wanted in Belize over the alleged murder of his neighbor. VICE traveled with him on what was touted as an exclusive investigative reporting spree, and published a photograph while he was on the lam in Guatemala that contained geolocating metadata. Mat Honan of Wired spotted it (like a boss). Vice issued a statement. And today, McAfee did, too.

As BB commenter Brainspore says in the thread below, “If only one of the people at that photo shoot knew something about internet security!”

My money’s on this whole photo thing being more of McAfee’s pranking/obfuscation/security through smoke and mirrors/crazy paranoid scamming.

Related: John McAfee sells TV, movie rights to his life story, while in detention.