Eyes-Only Mode
Messages that are only visible when you're looking at the screen. Varta uses real-time face detection to ensure your private conversations stay private — even if someone is standing right behind you.
Real-Time Face Detection
Checks for your face every 500ms using on-device processing
Shoulder Surfing Protection
Detects multiple faces and blurs content immediately
100% On-Device
Camera frames are never sent to any server — all processing is local
How It Works
Face detection meets privacy
Eyes-Only Mode combines biometric attention detection with layered blur protection. Here is the step-by-step process.
Camera activates locally
When Eyes-Only is enabled, Varta accesses your front-facing camera. The video feed is processed entirely on your device — no frames are ever transmitted to any server.
Face detection runs in real-time
Using the browser FaceDetector API (with a motion-detection fallback), Varta checks for the presence of a face every 500 milliseconds. All processing happens on-device in the browser.
Content reveals or blurs
When exactly one face is detected, messages are displayed normally. When no face is detected or you look away, content is immediately blurred with a heavy Gaussian filter.
Multi-face protection
If the camera detects more than one face — indicating someone is looking over your shoulder — messages are instantly blurred to prevent shoulder surfing.
Configurable
Four levels of privacy
Choose the level of protection that fits your situation. You can set a default and override it per conversation.
Normal
NoneNo blur applied. Messages are always visible.
Blur until Hover
BasicMessages are blurred by default and revealed when you hover over them.
Camera Verification
HighUses front camera to verify a face is present before showing content.
Eyes-Only
MaximumStrictest mode. Requires face detection + hover. Blurs on multiple faces to prevent shoulder surfing.
Privacy-first face detection
We designed Eyes-Only Mode to protect your privacy at every level — including from Varta itself. The camera feed is processed entirely in your browser using client-side APIs. No frames, images, or biometric data ever leave your device.
The system uses the native browser FaceDetector API where available, which runs directly on the device hardware. On browsers that do not support FaceDetector, a lightweight motion-detection fallback analyzes pixel changes to approximate attention without facial recognition.
Configurable blur timeout
Choose how long content stays visible after you look away: 1, 3, 5, or 10 seconds. Shorter timeouts provide stricter security.
Status indicator
A subtle status badge shows the current state: Initializing, Watching, Blurred, No Camera, or Disabled — so you always know your protection level.
No biometric storage
Varta does not store, transmit, or log any facial data. The detection result is a simple boolean (face present / not present) — no facial features are analyzed or recorded.
Graceful degradation
If camera access is denied or unavailable, Varta falls back to hover-based blur. You are never locked out of your messages.
Use Cases
When Eyes-Only Mode matters most
Public spaces
Reading sensitive messages on a train, in a cafe, or at the office. Content blurs if you look up to talk to someone.
Shared environments
When others are nearby — family, roommates, coworkers. Multi-face detection ensures only you see the content.
Sensitive business communication
Confidential business discussions that should not be visible to passersby or visible on screen unattended.
Unattended devices
If you step away from your device without locking it, Eyes-Only blurs content within seconds of losing face detection.
Messages that disappear when you do
Try Eyes-Only Mode and experience a privacy feature no other messenger offers.