The safest messenger application 'Signal' added a function to blur the image, is it a countermeasure to the crackdown using face recognition by the police?

' Signal ', which has been approved by the Electronic Frontier Foundation as one of the 'safest messenger apps', has a new function to blur the image. The function itself is not special, it is equivalent to the function already implemented on YouTube etc. Although it seems to be 'now', the police and the FBI will use face authentication to crack down on the demonstration spreading due to the death of George Floyd, partly because the function was added at this timing. It has been pointed out that

Signal >> Blog >> Blur tools for Signal

'Signal' is officially recognized as a tool for communication between lawmakers in the US Senate who attaches great importance to security.

The new 'blurring' feature blurs any part of the image, and Signal explains, 'it helps protect the privacy of the people in the photos you share.'

The reason why orthodox functions were added at this timing in photo editing and processing applications etc. was spread across the United States due to the death of a black man George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020. The existence of a demo has been suggested.

Demonstrations can range from mere 'protests' to 'riots' in some places, and it has been reported that police cars are destroyed. Police are collecting photos and videos of activists and are expected to identify individuals using face recognition technology.

Facial Recognition Is Law Enforcement's Newest Weapon Against Protesters