YouTube launched a tool in 2012 that allowed uploaders to blur the faces of people in their videos. The Google-owned video sharing service described it as a first step in providing visual anonymity tools and today, they've taken the next step.
YouTube's new custom blurring tool allows content creators to blur any object in their video. To give it a try, simply select the video you want to edit and choose Custom Blurring from the Blurring Effects tab of the Enhancements tool. From there, simply draw a box around whatever object(s) you want to blur.
The tool's algorithms are smart enough to track the object and adjust the blur effect as an object moves around in the video. And at any time, you can move the blurred area manually, resize it and select when the blur should start and stop. Once complete, YouTube says you can save the changes as part of the original video or create a new copy with the edits.
Note that you'll need to be using YouTube on the desktop to utilize the feature.
The enhanced blur tool will no doubt give users, especially the casual user, a bit more control over the content they upload. Professional or otherwise serious content creators, however, will likely get little use from it as they're almost certainly using more powerful, standalone video editing software.