Answers

How to find out who leaked your video.
Logs narrow it down. A per-buyer mark names the copy.

If your paid film or members-only video turns up online, the first question is usually who. Without a mark inside each viewer's copy, you can only narrow it down from who had access. With one, the copy itself tells you which account it came from.

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By uncompressed.io · Updated October 2026

Short answer

How do I find out who leaked my video?

The reliable way is a per-buyer invisible watermark: each viewer gets a copy carrying their own mark, so a leaked copy identifies the account it came from. Without one, you can only narrow it down from who had access. uncompressed.io's Leak Shield marks every buyer's copy, finds leaks and names the buyer once you confirm a sighting. Protection reduces risk and makes leaks traceable; it cannot guarantee a film never leaks or that every leak can be traced.

  • Per-buyer mark: the copy names the account
  • Access logs only narrow down who could have
  • Metadata is easily stripped and rarely names a viewer
  • Marks must be in place before the leak
  • Review evidence before acting on any account
  • Leak Shield: USD 99 a month or USD 1,188 a year, any paid plan

The evidence

What can tell you who
and how far each one gets you

uncompressed.io
Access records
File metadata
Visible name overlay
Names anaccount
Yes, from theleaked copy itself
Lists who couldhave, not who did
Rarely
Yes, if notcropped out
Survives ascreen recording
Designed to,not guaranteed
Not applicable
No
Unless croppedor blurred
Viewerexperience
Invisible
Invisible
Invisible
Name overthe picture
Must be setup before
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Protection reduces risk and makes leaks traceable; it cannot guarantee a film never leaks or that every leak can be traced.

With Leak Shield

How the buyer is identified
from sighting to answer

1

Every copy is marked

Each buyer or member gets their own invisibly marked copy.

2

Copies are found

The open web and torrent indexes are searched weekly for the first month after release, then monthly.

3

You review

Each sighting comes to you. You confirm it is your film or dismiss it.

4

The buyer is named

On confirmation the mark identifies the buyer, who is blocked and whose membership is cancelled.

5

The copy comes down

A takedown notice is sent to the host and a PDF case file records the sighting, buyer and dates.

Without a mark

Narrowing it down
if the leak already happened

If the copies were not marked, you cannot prove who leaked. You can still limit the damage and narrow the list.

Look at timing

When did the copy first appear? Who had access before that date? A leak hours after a release points to early buyers or reviewers.

Look at the version

If you sent different cuts, lengths or subtitles to different people, the leaked version narrows who had it.

Close and reissue

Change passwords, reissue access only to people who still need it, and turn on per-buyer marking for the next release.

For screeners sent by link, what to do if a screener leaked explains what the analytics can and cannot show. For unreleased cuts shared with a few people, the Vault plays films in the compatible macOS app with a session watermark.

Act on accounts, not accusations

A mark tells you whose copy leaked, not who was holding the phone. Block the account, keep the case file, and leave accusations about a person to a lawyer if it ever comes to that.

Questions

Frequently asked

How can I find out who leaked my video?

If each viewer received an individually marked copy, read the mark from the leaked copy and it identifies the account. Without a mark, you can only narrow it down from who had access, when, and from your platform's access records, which rarely proves anything.

Can I find out who leaked my video after it has already leaked?

Only if the copies were marked before the leak. A mark cannot be added to copies people already have. If you had no per-buyer mark, you can still remove the copies and turn marking on for the next release.

Can I trace a leaked video from its file or metadata?

Rarely. Metadata is easy to strip and usually identifies the film, not the viewer. A screen recording carries none of the original file's metadata at all.

Does a watermark prove who leaked a video?

A per-buyer mark shows whose account the copy came from. It does not prove who pressed record, for example if a login was shared. Review the evidence before acting, and act on the account, not on guesses about a person.

What happens to the buyer when Leak Shield confirms a leak?

After you confirm a sighting, the buyer is identified and blocked, their membership is cancelled, a takedown notice is sent and a PDF case file is kept.

Can a link shared without a buyer account be traced?

Not to a person. Plain share links and embeds on uncompressed.io carry no buyer mark. Per-buyer marking applies to films sold or streamed through your streaming platform with Leak Shield on.

Know whose copy it was, next time.

Leak Shield gives each buyer their own invisibly marked copy, searches for leaks and, when you confirm one, names and blocks the buyer. USD 99 a month or USD 1,188 a year, any paid plan. Protection reduces risk and makes leaks traceable; it cannot guarantee a film never leaks or that every leak can be traced.

Sources

  1. 1.US Copyright Office: Section 512 of Title 17 (read 12 October 2026)