Protection
Video download protection
Most unauthorised copies are not the work of a determined attacker — they are a shared embed, a forwarded link or a download tool pointed at a plain file. Encrypted segments, playback keys locked to your own domains and signed links that expire close all three of those routes, and watermarking gives you attribution for the one route that cannot be closed.
Playback allowed on your-site.example/lesson-1.
Same embed · two domains · one allowed
Illustration of domain-restricted key issuing, not a live test of your account.
Threat by threat
Four routes a copy takes, and how far each can be closed
Grading them honestly is what lets you choose. Three of the four are addressable; one is not, and knowing which is which saves money.
- A download tool pointed at the video
- The classic case: a browser extension or command-line tool asked to grab whatever the page is playing.
- On DynTube — Encrypted segments make the collected files unusable on their own. With the origin allowlist and account exemptions configured correctly, browser key requests are limited to the domains you approve.
- Your embed copied onto another site
- Someone lifts the snippet and republishes your video on their own page, often to monetise your work.
- On DynTube — The origin allowlist keeps browser key requests on approved domains, so a copied embed on another site cannot complete the configured playback path.
- A link forwarded past its audience
- Access granted for one person, one purpose or one week ends up circulating well beyond that.
- On DynTube — Signed private links give each share a managed lifecycle. Set its timing or play rule, rotate it when needed, and revoke it when the viewing window ends.
- A viewer recording their own screen
- Somebody who is legitimately allowed to watch captures what they see. No delivery control can prevent this.
- On DynTube — Not preventable, and we will not claim otherwise. Dynamic watermarking is the honest answer: it makes an escaped copy attributable, which is a real deterrent among people who know it is applied.
How it works
The controls doing the work
A set of complementary controls, selected for the way your videos are shared and the protection available on your plan.
- AES-128 encrypted segmentsProject configuration
- Video is packaged as short HLS segments, each encrypted as it is written. This is what turns a downloaded file into something that will not simply open in a media player.
- Origin-restricted key issuanceBrowser playback
- Playback needs a key, and the key request carries the origin it came from. List the domains allowed to play your video and every other origin is refused — the control that makes the encryption meaningful rather than decorative.
- Signed private linksManaged access
- For access outside your own pages, generate a per-video link you can reveal, rotate or revoke. Better than an unlisted URL, because it has an owner and an end date.
- Dynamic watermarkingPlan dependent
- An overlay applied at playback. Its job is attribution rather than prevention, which is exactly why it is the right tool against screen capture.
- Aggregate reporting to spot the patternEvery plan
- Unusual delivery against a single video is often the first sign that something is circulating. Watching plays and bandwidth per video is a cheap early-warning system.
- API control for automated revocationEvery plan
- Private links can be rotated and revoked programmatically, so your own application can withdraw access the moment a subscription lapses or an engagement ends.
Setup
The sensible order to set this up
Ten minutes of configuration in this order removes the routes that actually get used.
- 01
1. Populate the origin allowlist first
- 02
2. Prove the refusal yourself
- 03
3. Replace shared URLs with signed links
- 04
4. Watermark the material that matters
- 05
5. Watch delivery per video
Where it matters
Libraries where copying costs money
Paid courses and premium content
Revenue depends on access being genuinely limited to people who paid, which makes the origin allowlist the single most valuable control you can switch on.
Internal and confidential material
Briefings, policy and unreleased product training that should not leave the intranet, with watermarking on the sensitive set.
Screeners and previews
Reviewers, partners and clients each get a signed link with an expiry, revoked when the window closes.
Members-only libraries
Community and subscription content where the value is exclusivity, and links can be revoked when a membership lapses.
Original creative work
Documentaries, short films and portfolio pieces where attribution matters as much as access.
Access driven by your own app
Where entitlement lives in your system, private links can be issued and revoked programmatically to match it exactly.
Questions
The download questions people actually ask
Can you stop people downloading my videos?
We can make the routes people actually use impractical, and we will not claim more than that. Segments are encrypted as they are packaged, so a downloaded segment is not a watchable file; the key is only issued to origins on your allowlist; and shared access runs through signed links you can expire. What remains possible is someone permitted to watch recording their screen, which watermarking addresses through attribution.
What about download managers and browser extensions?
They collect encrypted segments rather than a playable file, and the key request they would need is checked against your origin allowlist. With the allowlist populated and the account-level exemptions off, the easy route closes.
Someone copied my embed onto their site. What happens?
The player on their page requests the playback key from an origin you have not allowed, and the request is refused, so the video does not play in a browser. This is the control worth setting up first because it closes the most common form of theft.
How do I share a video without losing control of it?
Use a signed private link rather than a plain URL. Each one can be revealed to a recipient, rotated if it needs replacing, and revoked outright — and all three can be driven from your own code, so access can end automatically when an entitlement does.
Can you stop screen recording?
No. Someone who can watch can capture, so treat a promise of prevention as a claim to check rather than a feature. Dynamic watermarking is the honest response: it makes a circulating copy traceable, which deters the people who know it is there and gives you something to act on if it happens.
Do you disable right-click and the download button?
Player behaviour is configurable, but treat it as presentation rather than protection. Anyone motivated enough to open a developer console is not stopped by a hidden menu, which is why none of the protection on this page depends on it.
Which plan do I need?
Choose a hosting plan for your storage and delivery needs, then confirm the protection features required for your workflow on the current pricing page or with our team. Watermarking and advanced protection options can depend on the selected plan and configuration.
Tell us which route you are actually losing video through
A shared embed, a forwarded link and a screen recording need different answers. Describe what you are seeing and we will tell you which controls close it and which do not.