I'm interested in censorship (blurring) and want to look into various methods and the reasoning/motivation behind them.

Who is protected, 'us' or 'them'? What precisely crosses 'the line'?

Countries with high levels of censorship on the World Press Freedom index, Reporters Without Borders, 2013.

News anchor in front of a blue screen.

Wireframe still from ‘Scramble Suit’, Kyle McDonald, 2011.

‘Body and Soul’, John Baldessari, 1989.

Dutch newspaper treated by Iranian censor.
From Censorship Daily, Jan-Dirk van der Burg, 2012.

According to Google;

censorship
/ˈsɛnsəʃɪp/

noun
1.
the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security. "the regulation imposes censorship on all media"
2.
(in ancient Rome) the office or position of censor.
"he celebrated a triumph together with his father and they held the censorship jointly"



blur
/bləː/

verb
gerund or present participle: blurring
make or become unclear or less distinct.
"tears blurred her vision"

Art Project 'CENSORED'by Georgi Yamaliev
29.01-22.02.2013, Credo Bonum Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria

"The project explores the interconnection between the hierarchical dependence in the world of art and the acts of censorship imposed by particular institutions or persons.
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The black rectangle, which is probably the oldest symbol of censorship and control over artwork and other forms of human expression, is used as key element in the project. By definition, censorship means suppression of free expression or another type of public communication which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or embarrassing as determined by some institutions, the media or other controlling body." - Georgi Yamaliev

identity, conflict, self-expression, knowledge, politics, ownership, shock, power, 'decency', image, protection, unacceptable, norms, morals, ethics, opinions, freedom, access, judgement, oppression, purge, deny, edit

"CV Dazzle explores how fashion can be used as camouflage from face-detection technology, the first step in automated face recognition. It is a concept and strategy, not a pattern or product, and it is always designed relative to a specific algorithm and unique to each face." - CV Dazzle

" A cage of information, a form of policing, surveillance, and structural violence that is ableist, classist, homophobic, racist, sexist, and transphobic." Face cages by Zach Blas

"As protests against police brutality and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement continue in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, protecting oneself against mass surveillance while rallying has become a pressing issue. Amid this increased emphasis on outsmarting facial-recognition technology, which experts say is more likely to wrongly identify the faces of Black individuals, the concept of anti-surveillance makeup is being shared as one of many ways to help protect one’s identity." - Vogue

Identity, privacy, information, status, face, expression, safety, system, asthetics