Safeguarding Your Content in 2023: Best Ways to Share Videos Privately

According to stats, just in 2023, an average person has consumed 17 hours of video online per week. That’s huge, right? Video content and sharing are more popular than ever across the world. However, not all videos are meant for sharing publicly. While there are public video platforms like YouTube where most of the content is meant for sharing, the need for private video hosting solutions has also increased to prevent unauthorized access. A perfect example would be a tutor who wants to host his lecture videos for only authorized users (in this case students).

Businesses often suffer a heavy loss in revenue when video piracy happens. The only solution to stop this is to get help from secure hosting platforms. These platforms generally have a password-protected or DRM-based encryption solution to curb the issue of online theft.

In this article, we will cover everything there is to know about safe and private video sharing, from platforms to encryption tech behind safe video hosting. Also, effective strategies to share videos securely.

Why Share Videos Securely? Understanding the Importance of Safe Video Sharing

Before we start, it’s important to know why there is a need for a safe video sharing solution. 

When a video is shared online without consent, there are many risks associated with it, which fall under several categories like loss of revenue, video misuse, privacy breach, negative impact on the company’s brand value, and more.

To combat all of these risks there is a need for a safe video sharing solution. A solution where unauthorized users won’t be able to access, download, copy, or share the video outside the platform. Fortunately, there are modern tools available, which help in securing video content online.

Video piracy has real-life consequences that affect businesses and stakeholders. Consequences like,

Financial loss

Unauthorized video sharing results in a significant loss in revenue for content creators and distributors. When people illegally download someone’s work without paying for it and further distribute it to the masses, original makers are not able to get a return on their investment.

Diminished Value of Content

There is a reason premium content has a paywall. Value has some price. When pirates download and distribute the same valuable content, it loses that premium vibe and also ruins the brand image.

Negative Impact on Jobs and Industry

The e-learning and the entertainment industry is a major contributor to the world economy. Video piracy results in job losses as businesses are unable to meet their revenue targets.

Compromised Quality

Often the quality of content is also diminished due to video piracy. Pirates don’t care about maintaining the quality, so pirated content generally has lesser resolution, and distorted audio which results in poor viewer experience.

Security Threat 

Piracy is often done by accessing unauthorized or shady channels, and with everything shady comes security risks. Cybercrime, malicious viruses, or software are some of the security threats associated with pirated content which compromise users’ personal information. To mitigate security risks associated with piracy, prioritize external attack surface management this way, safeguarding users’ personal information against cyber threats and malicious activities.

Legal Consequences

Downloading and distributing copyrighted material is a violation of federal copyright laws which can result in heavy fines or imprisonment.

How to Share Videos Securely Online: Choosing the Right Platform

We just discussed why there is a need for secure video sharing platforms. Choosing a secure, safe sharing platform is the need of the hour, especially when you are a content creator, e-learning business, or media platform that wants to share content with specific users.

So comes the next question, how do we choose secure video sharing platforms? What specific things one needs to look into when selecting one? Don’t worry! We have got you covered. 

Here are some key features you can look into,

Encryption

Make sure the video hosting platform uses encryption to secure the content. You can look into the platforms that use HTTPS to encrypt the data with an additional feature like encrypting the store content.

DRM (Digital Rights Management)

There are many types of DRM like digital encryption, watermarking, access control, and DRM software. DRM techniques help prevent unauthorized access, copying, or distribution. One can also opt for a multi-DRM solution, which uses a combination of Google Widevine, and Apple Fairplay DRM tech to block illegal access across Chrome and Apple devices.

Access Controls

Features that allow you to manage and restrict who can view or share your content are a plus. This typically includes permissions, authentication, and the ability to set up password-protected access.

Data Privacy Compliance

Make sure the platform complies with data privacy regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and other data protection laws.

Service and Legal Compliance

You can review the platform’s terms of service to get an understanding of how they handle legal aspects like copyright infringement, user agreements, or any other security-related breaches.

Customer Support

Ensure they have proactive customer support services that you can depend on when dealing with security concerns and resolving issues.

Performance

Choose reliable and high-performance hosting for delivering a seamless viewing experience.

Security Tools Integrations

Check if the platform integrates with security tools and services like anti-piracy services, user security analytics, or CDNs (content delivery networks) with security features.

Practical Tips for Secure Video Creation 

Securing video content and protecting against video piracy involves a mix of tech measures, legal considerations, and practices. 

Here are some tips for secure video creation to help minimize digital piracy,

Watermarking

Adding a visible dynamic watermark effectively prevents users from downloading or screen-capturing the content. Also, it helps trace back to the origin creator if required.

Blocking Credentials Sharing

Credential sharing is one of the actions that often leads to video getting pirated. When users share the credentials with others, the same premium content is consumed by many without paying for it.

Restricting Watch Time

You can restrict the playback time for your videos content depending on your user’s behavior. For example, for lecture-type content, a student will watch it 1-2 times at max. Restricting watch time beyond that will make sure your video is not being watched by several users.

Domain Restrictions

Another way to prevent your videos from getting downloaded is to use domain restrictions. This will make sure that your video embed code only plays and loads in your domain. Hence preventing the copying of video embed code and then reused by hackers.

Secure Video Sharing And Hosting Platform

Don’t use a regular video hosting service, instead invest in a secure video hosting platform like VdoCipher. A good secure video hosting platform typically has,

• DRM-based encryption – to prevent download
• Video API – to manage videos, enable automatic video upload, and get OTP for playback
• CDN – for faster content delivery regardless of geographical location
• User Security Video Analytics – to monitor users’ behavior and block suspicious activities
  

Monitoring and Analytics

Use video player analytics tools to monitor user engagement and performance. Watch out for suspicious activities like unusual watch time or patterns and block those users to prevent illegal distribution.

How to Overcome Challenges Around Secure Video Sharing

Secure video sharing involves implementing safety measures to protect the confidentiality and availability of the video content. Whether you share the media for private or professional use, security is important. Let’s talk about some challenges we face when sharing video online and how to overcome them,

Dealing with file size limitations

When sharing a larger file online, it’s always wise to compress the video file beforehand. Video compression is the key strategy for overcoming file size limitations without compromising the quality. You can adjust the bitrate and resolution using software like Adobe Premiere or Handbrake while maintaining the accepted quality.

Managing slow internet connections

Encourage users to use low resolution when they have a slow internet connection. It will reduce the amount of data needed for streaming the content. Progressive loading is also a great technique that allows users to start watching the video before it’s fully downloaded (how YouTube works).

Addressing compatibility issues with different devices

Opt for video formats that are universally accepted and are widely compatible with a wide range of devices and operating systems like MP4 or MKV. Recommend using video players that work seamlessly across all devices, and players that support multiple formats and codecs ensuring smooth playback.

What Are Safe Video Sharing Etiquettes

Now let’s talk about what to do and what not to do when sharing a private or professional video online, we call it safe video sharing etiquette.

Setting appropriate sharing permissions

When it comes to sharing videos online, it is important to set the right permissions to maintain control over who can view/share your content. Understand and make use of platform-specific permissions like private, public, or restricted sharing settings. Reserve private settings for sensitive content while public settings are more suitable for non-sensitive or promotional content.

Educating recipients about privacy settings

Clearly communicate and explain the settings with the recipients as well. If applicable, give them instructions on how they can adjust their settings from private to public or vice versa. If you have password-protected settings, inform them beforehand about the password and ask them to keep it confidential. 

Encouraging responsible sharing habits

Promoting responsible sharing habits creates a positive and secure online video sharing environment. Ask for consent and permission from people featured in the video before sharing. Practice discretion when sharing videos. If the video contains copyrighted material, compliance with the copyright laws. Always obtain proper permissions or use licensed content for sharing.

Case Studies: Real-Life Secure Video Sharing Experiences

All businesses that involve video hosting often face many challenges when it comes to secure video hosting and sharing. Challenges that we discussed above. A lot of things can go wrong and will go wrong if you are not careful enough. 

Let’s hear some real-life issues businesses face and how VdoCipher helped them overcome those.

Rajeev Vasani from Vasani Academy quoted – “Things like multiple CDN optimization, two pass encoding, DRM implementations were difficult to handle on their own. Along with the best security I can get, VdoCipher helped with the smooth delivery of course videos to our students across tier 2-3 cities of our country.”

Abhijeet Jagirdar from Time Pvt. Ltd. India says – ”Key feature requirements are scalable robust infrastructure with security from piracy. VdoCipher CDN + player was apt to meet our security and stability needs. We have seen appreciative growth in our online users regularly; their technology and support have helped us to execute our online strategy to perfection.”

Daniel from JustVision says – “We were looking for an affordable video hosting program with solid DRM and the option to geo-restrict content and were happy to find VdoCipher.”

Diane White from Toolbox For Writers shares – “It has been a great treasure in that I feel more protected knowing people cannot download streaming videos, and that if they do, their IP address, name, and email address will all be on the video. The support is fantastic, and the site is easy to navigate and use. Hooray for VdoCipher.”

These are some of the living proof that the need for secure and safe video hosting and sharing is the need of the hour. And many e-learning and media businesses are facing challenges securing their media. A lesson that we can learn from here is to protect your valuable content from piracy or unauthorized access if you don’t want to lose your revenue to online theft.

The Future of Secure Video Sharing

As technology evolves, so does the scene of secure video sharing. We talked about various DRM techniques like watermarking, encryption, and more. However, more emerging technologies that are making their way for securing and video authentication like Blockchain. Blockchain is known for its secure and transparent nature and could help verify the authenticity of videos in the future, preventing tampering or deepfakes. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also increasingly being deployed for dynamic encryption and decryption of video content. AI can help with a higher level of security, as it can adapt encryption levels based on contextual information.

The key takeaway is we need to stay informed about emerging technologies and their useful impact on online piracy. Implement all the already out solutions like DRM tech to prevent unauthorized sharing and actively participate in the security ecosystem, thus contributing to a safer and more secure online video sharing environment.

A Quick Recap and Popular FAQs Around Secure Video Sharing

Why is secure video sharing important?

Secure video sharing is important to protect content creators and distributors from financial loss, compromised quality, and legal consequences associated with unauthorized access, download, and distribution of videos. It ensures privacy, prevents piracy, and maintains the value of premium content.

What are the risks of sharing videos online without consent?

Risks include loss of revenue, video misuse, privacy breaches, negative impacts on brand value, and legal consequences. Unauthorized sharing can lead to revenue loss, compromised content quality, and security threats such as cybercrime and malicious viruses.

How can businesses prevent video piracy and unauthorized access?

Businesses can prevent video piracy by using secure video hosting platforms with features like encryption, DRM (Digital Rights Management), access controls, data privacy compliance, legal compliance, and reliable customer support. Implementing secure video creation practices, such as watermarking and restricting watch time, also helps.

What features should one look for in a secure online video sharing platform?

Key features to consider include encryption, DRM solutions, access controls, data privacy compliance, service and legal compliance, reliable customer support, high-performance hosting, and integration with security tools like anti-piracy services and CDNs.