Content protection
Also called: anti-piracy, DRM
Measures that make paid course material harder to copy or redistribute: signed video links, watermarking, download blocking, device limits and, at the strict end, DRM.
These measures differ in what they actually prevent. Signed, expiring links stop a URL being shared; device limits stop one login serving a class; a visible watermark carrying the viewer's name deters re-uploading because the leak identifies the leaker.
DRM proper (Widevine, FairPlay, PlayReady) encrypts the video and licenses playback per device. It is the strongest option and the most expensive, and it still cannot stop someone pointing a phone at a screen — which is why watermarking is the measure that scales.
For example
The layers stop different things. A signed link that expires in minutes stops the URL being pasted into a group chat. A visible watermark carrying the viewer's name stops them filming the screen and sharing it, because the leak identifies the leaker. A device limit stops one login being shared by six people. None of them stops a determined person with a camera — and a platform that claims otherwise is overselling.
On Prolaud
Course video is served through signed links with downloads disabled and a viewer watermark over the player. Prolaud does not claim to prevent screen recording, because no web platform can.
Related terms
- Recording retention — How long a platform keeps a class recording before deleting it. It is a storage-cost decision by the platform, and usually a plan limit.
- Proctoring — Supervising an online exam to deter and detect cheating — through camera and screen monitoring, tab-switch detection, or a live proctor watching.