Handy iOS Shortcut Can Blur Protesters’ Faces, Erase Metadata Off Images Swiftly
Image via David Mbiyu / Shutterstock.com
Helping protesters and others blur and anonymize photos is an idea that’s taking off. In the wake of protests following the death of George Floyd, developers have begun building tools to let demonstrators scrub off hidden metadata from photos and blur faces to prevent facial recognition systems from identifying them.
Developer Noah Conk has built an iOS shortcut called Blur Faces that uses Amazon’s facial recognition system and instantly censors faces it detects.
To install Blur Faces, users will have to run a shortcut, and then “Allow Untrusted Shortcuts” under Settings > Shortcuts, before following the link here. Scroll down and tap on ‘Add Untrusted Shortcut’ to install. To prevent forthcoming shortcuts that might be malicious for your device, you might want to disable the option later on.
Once the tool is installed, users can create a second copy of any image taken with all the faces blurred out. All metadata, including GPS location and camera model, will also be stripped from the file. The shortcut is free to download here.
I created an iOS shortcut for those who are out there protesting. This shortcut will blur faces and make a copy of the photo—which will have zero metadata
— I Noah guy who’s staying in (@NoahConk) June 3, 2020
Feel free to donate: money is for server & software costs
Cashapp: $noahconkhttps://t.co/namAOuVJ40#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/QeaMsSco1Q
[via PetaPixel, opening image via David Mbiyu / Shutterstock.com]
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