There are many techniques to protect your content, which have been in the market for years and are well proven. Through this note we share the 5 main ways to protect your content so that you consider them in your projects, for example an OTT, a private event, paid content, corporate networks, etc.

The following ways to protect your content you can combine or use by themselves, it all depends on the purpose you have:

1. Access Restrictions: OVP (Online Video Platform) platforms, such as Mediastream, generally allow you to create access rules to your content for each “request”. These platforms analyze each request and, according to the established rules, deliver the content or not. This is basically a filter and defined rules where you can put for example: Geo Block (country filter), IP’s, Devices, HTTP Referer or Domains, you can generate whitelist or blacklist.

For more information access here

2. Token: This security system allows you to generate a temporary key to the content, where you generate configurable access by time, devices, IPs and more, so that only those users that you decide can see the content. For example, charging for content or an event where we sold tickets and the user must watch a Live Streaming or a VOD for 48 Hours. In this way your system defines who will be able to see the content, if the request does not carry a token it will not be reproduced.

For more information access here

3. DRM (Digital rights management): Up to now we have protected the link, the streaming, but not the content itself. For this, there is Encryption and DRM is a standard so that both content owners, for example Hollywood distributors and the different devices on the market, can use a system where the content is encrypted with unique access keys for users and can be viewed.

in a safe and controlled environment. It is the way platforms like Netflix and other OTTs work, where all content has DRM. Implementing it has a degree of difficulty and costs, since first you must make a Multi DRM strategy that allows many devices to see the content and on the other hand the players must allow them. DRM is an end to end process, so the content is encrypted from its storage to the user. In Mediastream, for example, to keep it simple we have a Multi DRM service with SDK Players so you can use it.

For more information access here

4. Encryption: Just like the DRM system, you can encrypt the content at a low cost with AES 128, however in this way you protect the content but with a general key which must be public and that way only those who see it will see the content. have. The difference being encrypted is that, for example, if the content is downloaded, a user will not be able to see it if they do not have the key to decrypt. It is generally used for live streaming contribution and is a good standard.

5. Watermarking: As its name says, it is to literally put a watermark on the content, it can be visible or not by the user, but the important thing is that it allows to generate a traceability if this content was distributed and to know where it comes from. copy. Its function is to protect the copy of the content. For example, let's think that we must give access to a very important video and it cannot be filtered, if someone does, we will know where it comes from. Although even a transcoding of the video is done.

This security option can be enabled in the Settings - Player - Design module:
​

These 5 ways allow you to be clear about the possibilities, it is important to always know them and apply them in their combination when it corresponds to your project. If you want to know more write to us and we will help you.

If you have any related questions please do not hesitate to write to us through the chat.

Atte. Mediastream Team