A new feature has been added to Youtube that will allow uploaders to blur faces on any video content they share. Currently there was no such tool available on major video sites. The tool was added two months after Youtube launched the Human Right’s Channel with the rights campaigners WITNESS who advised of the feature to be made.

This should be a welcome to the people around the world who would like to have their voices heard and video documented without being in fear of danger, persecution or risk for showing the subject faces. It is hoped that the tool would encourage more people to share their footage as now they can be anonymous and ensure their safety. Youtube said in a blog post, “Whether you want to share sensitive protest footage without exposing the faces of the activists involved, or share the winning point in your 8-year-old’s basketball game without broadcasting the children’s faces to the world, our face blurring technology is a first step towards providing visual anonymity for video on YouTube”.

To blur faces in a video, go to Video Enhancements and click on the ‘Blur Faces’ options and all faces will be blurred, there is no options yet to selectively blur. Preview is enabled after blurring and option to delete the original video. Since this is a new feature and in development stages, there will be times when not all the faces are caught and blurred because of poor lighting, angle, video quality and obstruction, Google recommends users to check video and keep video private if its not done right.

Youtube used a video from the Arab Spring demonstrations in Egypt as an example of how the tool is used :-