Create Custom Blackout Zones with Privacy Regions

At Verkada, we work with a wide range of customers across many different industries. For each of these organizations, video security plays a critical role in how they secure, monitor and protect their physical spaces. An important responsibility is to ensure the privacy of individuals that may be captured in video security footage.

With Privacy Regions, we’ve made it simple for administrators to control recording in sensitive areas.

What Are Privacy Regions?

When cameras record footage, they capture everything that is occurring within their field of view. While this is often desirable for video security solutions, organizations may also need to consider how to ensure privacy for individuals or protect sensitive information. Attempting to solve for both of these needs can sacrifice privacy for safety, or vice versa.

With Privacy Regions, organizations no longer have to compromise. Instead, they can add cameras wherever they need coverage, and then strategically blackout specific zones.

When a zone is added, the recorded footage isn’t just covered with an overlay or mask. Instead, recording is blocked at the sensor level and the camera will no longer record footage for that designated area, ensuring that sensitive information cannot be exposed.

When to Use Privacy Regions

Any organization can benefit from the addition of privacy regions. From protecting sensitive areas or activities to safeguarding personal information, implementing a privacy region can instantly add an extra layer of protection.

For example, the healthcare industry benefits from the addition of privacy regions by blacking out devices at a nurses’ station or other areas where patient information may be displayed.

In addition to blocking out areas for privacy, organizations can also choose to use designated privacy regions in areas that simply don’t need to be recorded. For example, transit organizations may want to protect drivers while monitoring passenger activity.

Schools can also find Privacy Regions as a helpful addition to their set of tools for protecting student privacy. This can include a nurse’s office, as well as student workstations where they may be inputting personal information into school devices.

Getting Started

Privacy Regions can be added to any camera across your organization. To get started, go to your camera’s settings, select Privacy and toggle on Enable Privacy Regions.

Once enabled, users will see a feed of the camera with a grid. Simply drag over any areas you wish to add a privacy region to. Once done, click Apply and the changes will take effect immediately.

For more information on getting started with Privacy Regions, visit our knowledge base.

Want to learn more? Get a 20-Minute Demo and see how Verkada can help your organization modernize its approach to physical security.