How to choose a video anonymisation plug-in in Milestone XProtect

#Reasons to use plug-ins instead of manual anonymisation

To comply with privacy regulations, organisations that monitor or record video footage of venues, public areas, or traffic may need to blur personal data, such as licence plates or bodies and faces, and redact audio tracks containing spoken personal information.

Depending on your specific legal obligations, video anonymisation may be necessary when sharing footage outside of your organisation with law enforcement, insurance agencies, or as a response to data subject access requests.

It may also be required when streaming live video footage to comply with privacy laws or union regulations. 

Depending on the type of footage, videos may contain multiple types of personal information, starting with the obvious ones (faces, licence plates, distinctive tattoos), and additional types of data, such as signage, ID tags, credit cards, or screens.

Organisations already using Milestone XProtect have different options: they can use the manual built-in functionality, connect to a video redaction solution via API, or install one of the available video anonymisation plug-ins.

Manual redaction may be a viable option for infrequent, short video redaction requests, but will become very time-consuming once you need to process footage regularly. 

The easiest way for most users to work on video anonymisation projects without having to set up API connections with external tools is to use a plug-in inside XProtect.

Below, we’re going to cover Brighter AI and Identity Cloak plug-in options for Milestone XProtect and compare them to each other. Jump to the comparison table for a quick overview or keep reading for full context.

#Compare Milestone XProtect video anonymisation plug-ins

To decide which plug-in is the best fit for you, you’ll need to consider typical video redaction projects you need to complete and what kind of features you may need to complete them.

For example, if you share videos with law enforcement or insurance companies, you may need to be able to unblur the person of interest in a video. 

If your footage frequently includes signage, ID tags, or visible computer screens, you’ll need to be able to add custom blur to mask those types of data.

Here’s a quick comparison of Identity Cloak and Brighter AI plug-in capabilities:

Lastly, to get an accurate cost estimate for deployment, you’ll want to estimate the number of videos you’re going to need to redact and their duration. 

Reach out to our team if you need help with building a list of requirements or estimating your usage. We can share benchmark data by your industry to help you build a business case for automating video anonymisation.

Below, we’re going to share additional information on available XProtect plug-ins, starting with Identity Cloak plug-ins for Milestone. 

#Identity Cloak plug-ins for Milestone XProtect

Facit offers 2 plug-ins: Milestone Live and Milestone Playback. Both are compatible with all video streams in Milestone (body-worn, PTZ, 360°, and fixed dome cameras) and can unmask persons of interest for tracking through the footage. 

As the name suggests, Milestone Live automatically anonymises live footage without affecting the recording. It also manages access to unblurred footage inside Milestone, so that only authorised users can see it.

Milestone Playback redacts video footage inside Milestone. 

It automatically recognises, tracks, and anonymises faces, bodies, and licence plates. You can also redact signage, IDs, and screens that are captured on camera before exporting your footage.

For organisations that need to comply with stricter data protection regulations, Identity Cloak can be also used as a completely air-gapped, on-premise solution. 

The on-premise version supports:

• audio redaction

• video trim and ability to remove sections of a video

• custom square and elliptical blur tools

These features are on the roadmap to be added to the Milestone plug-ins as well.

Identity Cloak plug-ins are the best fit for organisations that work with complex footage that combines multiple types of personal data and need to quickly complete their video footage processing requests. On average, our customers finish redaction in under 12 minutes. 

170+ organisations in 23 countries rely on Identity Cloak, including Tate, 15+ NHS hospitals, River Island, Princeton University, Nottingham City Transport and others.

Here’s what our customers say about using Identity Cloak plug-ins and the desktop version:

#Brighter AI plug-in for Milestone XProtect

Brighter AI was acquired by Milestone in April 2025. The solution was originally developed for AI model training to create overlays that capture facial expressions while making people unrecogniseable.

As a Milestone plug-in, Brighter AI can blur faces and licence plates. 

However, it doesn’t allow users to review videos and manually blur additional personal data, which means that some types of personal data, like screens or ID tags, won’t be anonymised.

The plug-in version also doesn’t currently support unmasking for a person or persons of interest, limiting its applications.

#Which Milestone XProtect plug-in to choose

For video anonymisation projects that require unmasking people or vehicles in the footage or require application of multiple types of blurring, including custom shapes, consider Identity Cloak’s Milestone Playback. 

If you need to redact live footage and manage access to unredacted videos, choose Milestone Live plug-in.

Go with Brighter AI if you need to blur all vehicles or people in your footage and don’t need any additional types of blur beyond face and licence plate redaction.

Related articles

Best video redaction software: what to look for (and a full Identity Cloak walkthrough)

Cloud-Based vs On-Premise Video Redaction: Where Should You Redact Video Footage?

Face Blurring for Livestreams: use cases and available solutions