🎥 Stop The Steal! Meta’s New Tool Helps Creators Track Stolen Videos
- CA Bhavesh Jhalawadia
- 0
- Posted on
Imagine you spent hours making a great short video, called a Reel, and posted it on Facebook. A day later, you see someone else has taken your video and posted it on their page, pretending it’s theirs! This is a big problem for people who make videos for a living.
Now, Meta (the company that owns Facebook and Instagram) has launched a new “police” system to help. It’s called the Content Protection tool.
👮 What Does the Tool Do?
This new tool is like a security guard for your Facebook Reels. Its main job is to automatically look across both Facebook and Instagram for copies of your original video.
Here is how it works in very simple steps:
- You post your original Reel on Facebook.
- The Content Protection tool creates a digital “fingerprint” of your video.
- If someone else uploads your video (or even just a piece of it) on Facebook or Instagram, the tool finds the copy.
- You get a notification on your dashboard showing you exactly who took your video and where they posted it.
🎯 What Can You Do When a Video is Stolen?
When the tool finds a stolen copy, you have a few powerful options to choose from:
1. Track (Add a Label)
This option lets the copy stay online, but it clearly marks it as belonging to you.
- Example: Let’s say Creator Sarah posts a viral gardening tip video. Someone else, User Tom, reposts it. Sarah chooses the “Track” option. Now, the stolen video on Tom’s page might show a small note saying, “Original content by Creator Sarah.” Sarah can also watch how many views Tom’s stolen copy is getting.
2. Block (Take it Down)
This is the fastest way to get rid of the stolen video.
- Example: Creator Mike posts a unique comedy skit. A different page reposts the entire skit and starts making money from it! Mike gets angry and chooses the “Block” option. The stolen Reel on the other page will be immediately taken down and can’t be seen by anyone.
3. Release (Ignore it)
If you don’t care about a certain repost, you can choose to “Release” it. This just removes the copy from your tracking list so you don’t have to think about it anymore.
🔑 Who Can Use This Feature?
The tool is mainly for professional creators who are already part of Meta’s special monetization program. These are the people who are creating high-quality, original videos and earning money from their work. If you meet Meta’s quality rules, you can apply to get access to this new feature and protect your hard work.