Image Scrubber Quickly and Easily Removes Faces From Photos
Grace Mahas — June 15, 2020 — Tech
References: everestpipkin.github.io & vice
Amid the Black Lives Matter protests taking place around the world, many are considering the long-term ramifications of posting the identity of protesters — cue Image Scrubber by Motherboard. The new technology was recently launched for non-technical people to quickly blur the faces of people in a photo as well as remove other potentially identifying data from the image. The software was developed by artist Everest Pipkin and can be used on both smartphone devices and laptops alike.
Image Scrubber comes at a pivotal moment, where surveillance technology has become a real threat to the public, and activists are calling on protesters to keep the image of others anonymous in the name of safety.
Image Credit: Vice, Rockcatering; Redactions by Motherboard
Image Scrubber comes at a pivotal moment, where surveillance technology has become a real threat to the public, and activists are calling on protesters to keep the image of others anonymous in the name of safety.
Image Credit: Vice, Rockcatering; Redactions by Motherboard
Trend Themes
1. Surveillance Privacy - The development of face-blurring image tools like Image Scrubber highlights a growing trend of individuals and organizations seeking ways to protect privacy in the face of increased surveillance technologies.
2. Photo Anonymization - The emergence of tools such as Image Scrubber represents a trend towards the need for easy-to-use solutions that can quickly and effectively anonymize photographs, particularly in the context of activism and social movements.
3. Data Privacy - The creation of image manipulation tools like Image Scrubber reflects a trend of individuals and groups recognizing the importance of safeguarding personal data and preventing potential identification through images.
Industry Implications
1. Photography - The development of face-blurring image tools like Image Scrubber presents opportunities for the photography industry to offer innovative products and services that prioritize privacy and anonymity for individuals and communities.
2. Privacy Software - The increasing demand for easy-to-use image scrubbing tools indicates opportunities for the privacy software industry to develop more advanced and user-friendly solutions for anonymizing personal photographs.
3. Activism and Social Movements - The availability of simple and effective image anonymization tools like Image Scrubber opens up possibilities for the activism and social movements industry to adopt and promote practices that protect the safety and privacy of participants.
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