How to use Signal’s face blur tool and what it is for
This page was translated using AI and machine learning.
(Pocket-lint) – Encrypted Messaging App Signal’s face blur tool is another privacy feature for an app that only focuses on protecting the privacy of its users.
If you plan to share photos through Signal, the blur tool allows you to quickly blur faces and more. The idea is that you can use the tool to help protect the privacy of people in the photos you share, or any other information, such as a road sign.
Here’s how to use it and why you might do it.
How to use the blur tool in Signal
The Signal blur tool appears in the image editor of the Signal Android and iOS apps. When you are going to take a photo, you can select the Blur option from the toolbar. This will tell the app to automatically detect all faces in your image. If any are missing, you can still blur manually.
In fact, you can scramble anything you want to anonymize. All processing is also done locally, so all your non-blurry images remain on the device.
What is the point of the Signal blur tool?
Imagine, for example, that you are participating in a protest with friends and you want to capture the moment while preserving the privacy of your friends and those who protest around you. You can use Signal to capture the photo while automatically blurring their faces. You can use another app to take your photos, these apps probably don’t make it easy to hide identities with just the press of a button.
If you upload an image taken with another app and send it through Signal, the blur tool can also be used.
Signal said when he announced the feature in 2020, that US protests around George Floyd led to save downloads of his app, which uses a secure technology called end-to-end encryption to make it incredibly harder for the forces. order or any other person to intercept your calls and messages.
Want to know more?
See Signal’s blog post for more details.
Written by Maggie Tillman. Edited by Britta O’Boyle.