Why we blur faces
Why every image from Myanmar is blurred or cropped, and what you can do to help protect people.
No faces. On purpose.
Every photo and video we share from Myanmar will have faces blurred or cropped out. You will never see a name, a street sign, a village or a voice that could be traced back to a person. This isn't a limit on our storytelling. It is the story.
In Myanmar, giving help can be treated as a crime. Reporting by Radio Free Asia and Frontier Myanmar has documented closed mobile-wallet accounts and arrests over small transfers. The women who run these collectives choose to be useful anyway, every single day. A blurred face is how we keep that choice survivable.
Think of the blur as a badge of honor. It means the person behind it is still safe to keep doing the work.
How we protect the people you never see
- Faces blurred or cropped out of every image and video.
- Names, places, signs and voices removed before anything is shared.
- Hidden file data stripped from every upload.
- We publish after the fact, never live.
If you share our work
Supporters are part of the safety net. Here is how to help without putting anyone at risk.
- Share our images exactly as published. Never crop out the blur.
- Never try to identify, un-blur or locate anyone you see.
- Do not guess or post locations, names or schools in replies and comments.
- If it is not on this site, it is not us. Be wary of anyone collecting in our name.
Two dollars moves.
Pick a level. It takes less time than reading this sentence twice.