Different types of video content are available online and each is sensitive in its own way. Some are made for marketing purpose while some are designed for a specific audience like partners, customers, and others. To avoid video piracy and to protect video content from unauthorized access. In this article, we’ll be looking at ways to secure video content.
Ways to protect video content
Visible Watermarking
Visible Watermarking consists of placing a logo or text on the video to show company’s name possessing the content.
Advantages
Easy and free to use.
No need of special software to view or create a watermark.
Visibility of watermark is a deterrent
Cannot be cropped easily if placed in the center.
Disadvantages
Hinders clarity/visibility of the image, video or movie.
No physical protection is provided.
Cannot tie the video with a specific person.
Might increase videos encoding time.
Invisible Digital Watermarking
It is a type of steganography that aims to hide information by embedding messages within other messages. It is a way to prove ownership and provide additional information. It is used as a robust way to handle destruction and spoofing.
Advantages
No need to re-encode existing video or movie.
Can be linked to a well-defined user.
Does not spoil the movie.
Disadvantages
Special software is required for invisible digital watermarking
No physical protection is provided.
Plugins to Protect Content
Used browser plugins like Silverlight, Flash to protect your online content from being copied or distributed without your permission. These plugins use Digital Rights Management (DRM) to protect unauthorized use of video content.
Advantages
Provides control over user activity, for instance, can make a video unavailable after a specific time frame.
Provided physical protection.
Disadvantages
A plugin is required to protect video which isn’t feasible for all.
Sometimes does not support mobile devices.
Too costly for a small publisher.
Use HTML5 Encrypted Media Extensions to Protect Video Content
Protect video content without using plugins with HTML5, a link between web video and existing online video protection system.
Advantages
No need of plugins.
Provides control over user activity. For instance, a movie can be made unplayable after a certain time and what a user can and cannot do can also be controlled.
Physical protection provided. m
Disadvantages
Supports only a limited number of browsers.
Required an existing DRM system for integration.
Costly
Streaming
File streaming makes video downloading cumbersome. To make videos with streaming you can use services like HTML5, Adobe Media Server or HTTP live streaming. This will help to protect your video content from piracy.
Advantages
Downloading files isn’t easy.
Faster playback times.
Automatic addition of additional features in accordance with the user’s connection
Disadvantages
Need to prepare video file in advanced.
Tech-savvy users can download video content by using specific software.
Require video streaming server to secure video content.
Which option you choose totally depends on the content and usage.
If you want to stop a paying user from downloading the movie DRM is the best method. While, if you want to stop clients from using incomplete videos on which you are working without paying use visible watermarking and/or streaming. Plus, if you want to stop a movie leak use combination of user tracking, physical preventions, and deterrents.
In addition to the above-mentioned methods you can even adopt the following methods:
Use YouTube’s Unlisted and Private Video Feature
If your business relies on YouTube the largest online video platform for hosting and managing videos. Take advantage of YouTube’s “unlisted” or “private” setting. This setting will help you mask the video from YouTube searches. This means anyone without URL will not be able to access it. Another way to hide video on YouTube is to share a video link on email with specific users i.e. 50. Before you do so, make sure these users have Google or YouTube account as the video invite will be sent on it.
Password Protected Video
Almost every video marketing and hosting platform offer security features to protect video. Therefore, one should use them to allow an authorized person to view the video.
Domain Restriction
Want to control video embedding, playback, sharing etc. use domain restriction. It shields your video from unauthorized access, keeps the video on the website and allows the user to view the video on the website only.
Scheduled Delivery
Use video platforms that provide an option to upload a video for a specific time and date. As using this feature, you can schedule when you want to make a specific video available and when the code should expire.
IP Address Restriction
One of the best ways to restrict and protect videos from unauthorized access is to restrict IP. Based on the geographical or physical location you can restrict the video. Moreover, you can ensure that people on site can only watch the video. This is a great way to protect internal video created for training purposes.
Single Sign-On
Use, Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication method to allow connection from two different user management systems to interact and permit same users to access different environments and applications from a single set of credentials. It is the most efficient method for protecting internal content video from being leaks. Using SSO employees can watch the video by using their login.
Encrypted Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMPE)
An advanced method used to secure online video. RTMPE breaks video content into pieces so that only the required piece and played when required. It is an advanced method hence provides a lot of protection since it’s nearly impossible to get the full video. This means no one can get the complete video even if the person tries all the tricks.
Using these simple tips, you can easily secure your online video content from being tampered or misused by unauthorized people. Video content nowadays is a valuable asset; hence we need to protect it from falling into wrong hands. Illegal access not only means access by errant members it even means availability of paid video for free, sold by someone to make money and other things.
Another concern is that you’re if the video content is unsecured then any can access it and link it with anything. Therefore, it is important to protect video content.