Method and apparatus for performing privacy masking by reflecting characteristic information of objects

A camera device including an input/output interface configured to capture an image and at least one processor, the camera device comprising:

• a user interface configured to designate a partial region to be masked in the input image and a sensitivity with respect to the partial region to be masked, based on a user input, the partial region having a fixed size at a fixed position within the input image;
• an object extractor configured to extract an object from the image;
• an object analyzer configured to obtain information including characteristic information about the object by analyzing the extracted object;
• an object determiner configured to determine the extracted object is a dynamic object which has motion information;
• and
• an object processor configured to perform masking on the extracted object, in response to determining the extracted object is the dynamic object which has the motion information,
• wherein the performing masking on the extracted object includes performing masking on the extracted object when both a first condition that the extracted object is positioned in the designated partial region and a second condition that the extracted object meets the designated sensitivity are satisfied, and
• wherein as the sensitivity decreases, a monitoring function is enhanced and as the sensitivity increases, a privacy protection function is enhanced, and
• wherein, when the extracted object is located outside the designated partial region, no masking is performed regardless of the designated sensitivity, and when the extracted object enters the designated partial region, the object is only then masked.