Configuring privacy protection on cameras

To anonymize a video stream, you must configure privacy protection on each camera.

To configure privacy protection:

1. From the Area view task, select the camera to configure, and click the Privacy protection tab.

   

2. Set the Privacy protection option to ON.
   Any user who does not explicitly request to remove privacy protection gets the anonymyzed video stream.
3. Set the Recording (when camera is recording) option.
   • ON:

     When recording is triggered on the camera, both the Public (privacy-protected) stream and the Private (confidential) stream are recorded.
   • OFF:

     The privacy-protected stream is never recorded, only the confidential stream is. This means that when a user without the Remove privacy protection privilege requests to play back video from that camera, no video is available.
4. Configure the basic privacy protection settings.
   • Streaming source:

     Standard stream (default = Low resolution) is used to generate the anonymized stream. Although the Archiver role always archives the Recording stream as the original (private) stream, you can select a different stream to archive as the anonymized (public) stream.
   • Method:

     Appearance of the masking blocks. Choose the option that suits your privacy protection needs:

     • Pixelation:

       (Default) Sets the color of the masking blocks to the average color of the masked area.
     • Colorize:

       Fills the masking blocks with a solid color of your choice. Use this option to ensure that no person is recognizable in any scene.
     • Transparency:

       Fills the masking blocks with the color of the background, mixed with a semi-transparent color of your choice. Use this option to obscure people while leaving some of the background visible.
   • Color:

     (Colorize and Transparency methods only) The color to use for colorization. Select a color from the Basic color picker, or click Custom for additional options.

     

   • Tolerance:

     The illumination change tolerance as a percentage. Values range from 1 - 100% and the default is 25%.
   • Block precision:

     The block size in the protected video image. Specifying a high number results in smaller blocks. Values range from 60 - 100 and the default is 80.

     BEST PRACTICE: Choose a block precision that anonymizes people even when they are close to the camera.
   • Preset:

     The optimized default set of settings for the selected use. Choose one of the following:

     • Indoor:

       The optimized default set of settings for indoor situations.
     • Outdoor:

       The optimized default set of settings for outdoor situations.
5. (Optional) Designate one or more exclusion zones.
   1. Select one of the following:
      • Add static privacy zone ():

        Privacy protection is always applied to these zones. Everything in a static privacy zone, including the background, is protected.
      • Add exclusion zone ():

        Privacy protection is never applied to these zones. Everything in an exclusion zone, including motion, is not protected.
   2. To define a zone, click and drag over an area of the video preview.
      If zones overlap, static privacy zones override exclusion zones.

      NOTE: If a block is partially within a zone boundary, the full block is anonymized when motion is detected.
6. Click Apply.