The 6 privacy options of a video share
A Videas share link is secured with six options: expiry, password, open limit, download permission, hidden details and hidden date. They stack, and it is their combination that actually protects.
This article says what each one does, which to pair for which situation, and what Videas cannot do. For the procedure — opening the window, copying the link — see How to share a video with a link.
What you need
- A Videas media item with a share being configured (see How to share a video with a link for the procedure)
- The Editor role or higher on the workspace
The 6 privacy options
1. Expiry
The most structuring option. It defines when the link will go inactive. After that, any attempt to access it returns an error page.
Timing strategies by context:
| Context | Recommended duration |
|---|---|
| One-shot demo to a prospect | 24 to 72 hours |
| Client review of a delivery | 7 to 14 days |
| Internal training for one session | 30 days |
| Replay of an event | 90 days |
| Evergreen content (long-lived product catalog) | 1 year, renewed every year |
| No expiry | Best avoided in B2B — reserved for exceptional cases |
Tip: always set an expiry, even a long one. A link with no expiry date is a link you will forget. Better to renew every year (a quick action in the modal) than to leave a share active indefinitely.
2. Password
The recipient must enter a password before reaching the player. The password you set has no imposed format (length, complexity), but a few rules apply.
What makes a good password for a Videas share:
- At least 12 characters mixing letters, numbers and symbols
- No dictionary word and no obvious date
- Different from the passwords you use elsewhere
- Sent through a separate channel from the link (password by private message, link by email — or the other way around)
When a password is enough:
- The recipient is identified and reachable on a private channel
- The content is temporarily sensitive (review before publication, draft)
When a password is not enough:
- The content is highly confidential (M&A strategy, customer data, trade secrets) → add a short expiry + maximum views
- The recipient might pass the password on → add maximum views + regular regeneration
3. Maximum views
Caps the total number of viewings of the link. Once the quota is reached, the link deactivates automatically.
Typical use cases:
- Prospect demos: 3 to 5 views (the prospect can watch again, but not run it past their whole team)
- Free excerpts of a paid training course: 1 view, for a strict teaser
- One-off audits: 5 to 10 views, depending on how many auditors there are
- Confidential presentations: 1 view per recipient (regenerate for each send)
Remember: one view = one viewing. If the recipient refreshes the page, that may count as a new view. Be generous in your estimate (10 views rather than 5 if you need headroom).
4. Downloads allowed
A toggle that determines whether the recipient can download the source file through the player (the download icon in the player).
Off (default, recommended): the content is streamed only. The recipient can watch but cannot keep a usable file.
On: the recipient can download the original file. Use it when:
- The recipient has to edit or reuse the video (end-client case, editorial partner)
- You are sharing a raw file meant to be processed elsewhere (delivery to a video contractor)
- An explicit download right has been agreed (contract, terms of sale)
Remember: enabling downloads bypasses the other protections (password, expiry). Once the file is downloaded, it lives independently of the Videas share. Never enable it for content you want to be able to revoke over time.
5. Hide media info
A toggle that hides the media’s name and description on the share page. Only the player stays visible.
When to turn it on:
- The media’s internal name is not fit for your clients (
webinar-final-v3-fixed.mp4,Q4-replay-CONFIDENTIAL.mp4) - You want a clean look focused on the content, with no distraction
- The share sits inside a parent page (email, web page) that already carries all the context
When to leave it off:
- The recipient arrives with no context: keeping the title + description helps them get their bearings
- You are delivering several videos from a series (the naming helps tell them apart)
6. Hide date
A toggle that hides the media’s publication date on the share page.
When to turn it on:
- Evergreen content you want reused over several quarters without looking dated
- Event replays you redistribute later (a June 2025 webinar republished in March 2026 — with no date shown)
- Educational videos whose relevance does not depend on the date
When to leave it off:
- Topical content (age is useful information)
- Documentary compliance (audit, traceability — the date must be visible)
Active toggle (on an existing share)
On a share that has already been created, an extra option appears: the Active toggle. Switched off, the share returns an error page to the visitor without being deleted.
Use it instead of deletion when:
- You want to temporarily suspend a share (audit under way, content being updated, a colleague leaving)
- You want to keep a record in the history in case you need to go back
- You do not yet know whether the suspension is permanent
Reactivating is instant — a simple flip of the toggle. The existing settings (expiry, password, views used and so on) are preserved.
Recommended combinations by scenario
| Scenario | Expiry | Password | Max views | Downloads | Hiding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confidential client review | 7 days | Yes | 5 views | No | None |
| One-shot prospect demo | 48 h | No (optional) | 3 views | No | Hide info |
| Long-lived internal training | 1 year | No | No | No | None |
| Evergreen public replay | 1 year | No | No | No | Hide date |
| Free excerpt (lead magnet) | 30 days | No | No | No | Hide info |
| M&A strategy / trade secret | 48 h | Yes (strong) | 1-2 views | No | Hide info + hide date |
| Deliverable for a video contractor | 14 days | Yes | No | Yes | None |
What to know before sharing high-stakes content
Before sharing very sensitive content, take 30 seconds to frame what the privacy options cover and what they cannot cover. No video delivery platform (Videas included) removes the risk of a leak entirely — security always rests on a combination of technical options and good human practice. Anticipating these points avoids nasty surprises and lets you calibrate the level of protection to the actual need.
The options are about access, not identification
The options above control who can reach the player (expiry, password, maximum views). What they do not do is verify the visitor’s identity: a share does not filter recipients by their email domain (@your-company.com / @client.com cannot be enforced), and anyone holding the link and the password can get in, whatever their address.
Anticipate this: a password-protected link can be reused by a recipient who passes on link + password to a third party. The countermeasure is always the same: a private channel for delivery, a strong password, maximum views and a short expiry on very sensitive content.
The content can still be captured on screen
Videas playback runs through a standard web player, over secure HTTPS streaming. Like every consumer streaming platform, the content can be recorded by screen-capture software or filmed with a mobile phone. No 100% capture-proof protection exists today.
Anticipate this: if you are delivering very confidential content (an unannounced M&A deal, pre-release media, strategic data) and a leak by screen capture would be critical, add a visible confidentiality notice in the source video (for example “Confidential — limited distribution” burned into the bottom of the frame). It is a deterrent, not a technical protection, but it reinforces the recipient’s accountability and makes legal traceability easier if there is a leak.
No dynamic overlay of the viewer’s name
Videas sharing does not automatically overlay the viewer’s name or email onto the video (a technique sometimes called forensic watermarking). If you need to visually personalize the video per recipient to help an investigation in case of a leak, the current approach is to burn in a dedicated version per recipient with a specific notice before uploading. See Burn subtitles into your video (burn-in) for the principle — the same technique applies to a text watermark.
Downloads bypass the other protections
If you turn the Downloads allowed option on, the recipient gets the unprotected video file, which then lives independently of the Videas share: revoking the link, changing the password or letting it expire has no effect on the file already downloaded. Only enable it for use cases where the content’s persistence on the recipient’s side is explicitly agreed (a contractual deliverable to a contractor, for example).
Remember: the security of a share rests on several layers (short expiry, strong password, max views, private channel, regular audit). No single option is enough for high-stakes content.
General best practices
Combine several options for sensitive content
The more sensitive the content, the more options you combine. For an M&A strategy or a trade secret: strong password + 48 h expiry + 1-2 max views + info hidden.
Prefer deactivating over deleting
Unless it is absolutely necessary (GDPR, legal request), deactivate rather than delete. You keep the record in the history, and reactivating is instant if needed.
Quarterly audit through the history
The Share history screen (the banner at the bottom of the Share modal) lists all your active and deactivated shares. Review it every quarter: spot the dormant links, deactivate the ones that no longer have a reason to exist, and check that no link without an expiry is left lying around.
Cut off access after a leak
The “Regenerate a new link” button cuts off nothing: it creates a second share and leaves the first one active. To revoke a leaked link, turn off the Active toggle (reversible) or delete the share (permanent). See How to share a video with a link.
Document it in the share’s name
“Share of 25 February 2026” is useless in 6 months. Prefer “Q4 webinar replay — sales team — exp. 2026-12-31”. The name is the most useful lever you have when auditing.
Are maximum views counted per recipient?
No, it is a global quota for the link: openings from all your recipients draw on the same counter, and a page refresh can count as a new view.
So be generous in your estimate — ten views rather than five if you need room. For a limit that is genuinely per person, go through the email send in the share window, which gives each recipient an individual link.
Can I revoke a video the recipient has already downloaded?
No. Once the file is downloaded, it lives independently of the share: revoking the link, changing the password or letting the expiry pass has no effect on the copy sitting with your recipient.
That is why downloads are off by default, and why the toggle should only be turned on when the file’s permanence at the recipient’s end is explicitly agreed — a contractual deliverable to a supplier, for instance. For anything you may want to cut off later, leave it closed.
Should I deactivate or delete a share?
Deactivate, unless you absolutely must delete. The Active toggle makes the link stop working immediately while keeping the share in your history: the settings, the views already used and the record of the send are preserved, and reactivating is a single flip.
Keep deletion for cases where the record itself has to disappear — a GDPR erasure request, a legal obligation. It is permanent.
Can I find out who opened a share link?
Not with a copy-pasted link: the options govern access, not identification. Sharing verifies nobody’s identity and does not filter on email domain — anyone holding the link, and the password if there is one, gets in, whatever their address.
The only route by name is the email send from the share window: each recipient gets a distinct link, and their activity is tracked individually.
How often should I audit my shares?
Once a quarter is enough, from the Share history screen reached at the bottom of the share window. Three things to look for: links with no expiry still hanging around, dormant shares that no longer have a purpose, and sensitive content left without a password.
What makes that audit quick is the name you give each share when you create it. “Share of 25 February” will tell you nothing in six months; “Q4 webinar replay — sales team — exp. 2026-12-31” can be judged at a glance.
In short
- 6 options available: expiry, password, maximum views, downloads, hide info, hide date — plus the Active toggle on an existing share
- Expiry: always set one, even a long one (1 year for evergreen); avoid “no expiry” in B2B
- Password: combine it with a private channel for delivery; not enough on its own for very sensitive content
- Maximum views: demos, excerpts, one-off audits — a global quota, not per recipient
- Downloads: enable only when an explicit use justifies it; once done, it bypasses the other protections
- Hiding: for a clean look or for evergreen content
- Active toggle: prefer deactivation over deletion
- Anticipate this on very sensitive content: the options are about access, not the visitor’s identity; the content can still be captured on screen (as on any streaming platform); downloads, once enabled, bypass the other protections
- Combinations by scenario: a recommended table for 7 typical cases (review, demo, training, replay, excerpt, trade secret, contractor deliverable)