Leak Shield and piracy protection
Protect videos from download.
Close the easy routes. Mark what gets through.
There are three ways a video leaves your site: someone downloads the file, someone captures the stream, or someone records the screen. Settings can close the first, make the second harder and do nothing about the third. The plan that works closes what it can and makes every remaining copy traceable.
Video hosting for filmmakers · 5 GB free · Paid plans from USD 9/month
By uncompressed.io · Updated October 2026
Short answer
How do you protect videos from being downloaded?
Turn off file downloads, stream the video instead of linking to a file, and sell through a storefront where each buyer signs in. That closes the easy routes. Stream capture and screen recording still work, so give each buyer an invisibly marked copy that points back to them if it leaks. Protection reduces risk and makes leaks traceable; it cannot guarantee a film never leaks or that every leak can be traced.
- Turn off the original file download
- Stream instead of linking to a file
- Require each buyer to sign in
- Mark each buyer's copy invisibly
- Recording cannot be fully blocked in a browser
- uncompressed.io does not offer DRM
The routes out
Three ways a video leaves
and what closes each one
uncompressed.io offers download control per film, sign-in per buyer and, with Leak Shield, per-buyer marks. It does not offer DRM. Protection reduces risk and makes leaks traceable; it cannot guarantee a film never leaks or that every leak can be traced.
Setup
Protect a release in five steps
for a paid film
Stream, do not link
Upload the film and let buyers watch it in the player, rather than sending a file link.
Downloads off
Keep the download option off for the premiere. Add it later, or sell it as its own purchase.
Sell with sign-in
Purchases, rentals with a viewing window and memberships. Buyers sign in with the email they bought with.
Mark every buyer
Turn on Leak Shield (USD 99 a month or USD 1,188 a year) so each buyer gets their own invisibly marked copy.
Watch and act
The open web and torrent indexes are searched weekly for the first month, then monthly. You confirm; the buyer is blocked and a takedown is sent.
Downloads as a product
When to allow downloads
rather than a risk
Blocking downloads forever is not always the right call. Offline viewing is something buyers pay for.
Premiere window
Streaming only. Demand is highest and a clean file would do the most damage.
After the window
Offer a download as a separate purchase, or include it for buyers who already own the film.
Higher tier
Make downloads a perk of a yearly membership tier, where buyers have more to lose by sharing.
Whatever you choose, a download is still a copy. With Leak Shield, a confirmed leak of a buyer's copy names the buyer, who is blocked and whose membership is cancelled; a takedown notice is sent and a PDF case file is kept. For embeds on your own website, see can people download embedded videos. For unreleased cuts shared with reviewers, the Vault plays films in the compatible macOS app with a session watermark.
Who this is not for
Questions
Frequently asked
How do I protect my videos from being downloaded?
Turn off the original file download, stream instead of linking to a file, require buyers to sign in, and give each buyer an individually marked copy. The first three make downloading harder; the mark makes any copy that still gets out traceable.
Can I completely prevent video downloads?
No. Anything that plays on a screen can be captured, by stream tools or by recording. You can remove the easy download routes and make the remaining copies traceable.
Does streaming prevent downloads?
Playing a video in a player behind a sign-in, rather than publishing a file link, removes the simple download link anyone could share. Stream capture tools and browser extensions can still reassemble a stream, and recording still works.
Can people download videos embedded on my website?
Often, yes, with the right tools. An embed only changes where the player appears. What protects a paid video is access control and a per-buyer mark, not the embed itself.
Should I ever offer downloads to buyers?
Many buyers value offline viewing, and a download is a product you can sell. A common approach is to keep downloads off for a premiere window and add them later, or offer them on a higher tier.
Does uncompressed.io use DRM to prevent downloads?
No. uncompressed.io does not offer DRM. Downloads are a setting you control per film, and Leak Shield adds per-buyer marks, leak search and takedowns.
Downloads when you choose, marks on every copy.
Sell purchases, rentals and memberships with downloads on or off per film. Leak Shield marks each buyer's copy and searches for leaks, USD 99 a month or USD 1,188 a year on 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.W3C Encrypted Media Extensions, Working Draft (dated 7 July 2026, read 12 October 2026)