Digital Product Armor: How to Stop Unauthorized Sharing

Last updated on Jul 20, 2024

In the dynamic realm of digital commerce, we have faced a monstrous challenge: how to stop the unauthorized sharing of our creative work like digital products and downloads. We all know that the second we post a digital product, there is a significant risk it can get stolen and re-distributed quickly and with ease.

In 2017, an estimated 16.5 million individuals engaged in unauthorized ebook downloads alone in the USA. While downloading music and movies remains prevalent, e-books, PDF content, digital downloads, and Notion databases are not exempt from this trend. These internet piracy facts highlight the significant impact, costing millions in lost sales.

When you Google "my digital product got stolen," you'll find firsthand accounts of the challenges faced by digital product creators. These stories offer objective insights into the tangible impact on individuals whose creative works have been compromised by the prevalent issue of unauthorized sharing.

Someone is selling my digital products on Etsy
by u/Accomplished_Read_25 in EtsySellers

Tons of people copying my digital product
by u/emilyjm100 in EtsySellers

I’m worried about my Patreon Content being stolen?
by u/Dieb7727 in patreon

Creators who have had your content stolen, and resold on Patreon by someone else. Got any tips?
by u/Strife_3e in patreon

Root problem: download links

The bad habit of unauthorized sharing emerges from the vulnerability inherent in download links. When a customer obtains the link to download your digital product, they gain the ability to create virtually limitless reproductions quickly and with ease.

A link to download is a web address that, when accessed, directs users to initiate the downloading process of a digital file. In the context of digital products, such as ebooks, software, or media files, a download link serves as a pathway for users to acquire the associated file.

Example: a product pages that customers receive on Gumroad can include a "link to download"

Example: after a person clicks a download link, they acquire the file as it is transferred to their device, where they can access it locally and share it.

Once the user clicks on or accesses the link, the file is transferred from the server to the user's device, allowing them to store and access the content locally. While download links facilitate the convenient distribution of digital products, they also pose security challenges, as users who possess the link gain the ability to reproduce and share the content without proper authorization.

This dynamic makes it crucial for digital product creators to consider secure alternatives, such as platforms with protective measures like Kahana's secure hub system, to mitigate the risks associated with unauthorized sharing and distribution.

Kahana is the solution

Kahana is designed to mitigate the risk of unauthorized sharing through secure hub systems. The Kahana platform and infrastructure allow you to sell more securely, control the ability to download, and start to authorize the sharing of your products.

Here, paying customers enjoy full access to your digital products, experiencing seamless viewing and interaction within the platform.

Upon payment for access to a Kahana hub housing your digital products, users can seamlessly view the material within the platform, yet downloading the content is intentionally restricted.

Customers have the freedom to read, learn, and engage with your digital products directly within Kahana. The deliberate absence of a downloadable link or button ensures that they cannot unlawfully copy or redistribute your files. This intentional security measure preserves the exclusivity of your content

Within Kahana, the option to download files is deactivated. While your customers can freely view and engage with the content, the capability to download and redistribute is disabled.

Authorized sharing is not only harmless; it's beneficial! Every new click on a shared link grants a sneak peek through the window and your own words describing the contents of the hub.

Kahana's hub infrastructure enables customers to access, view, and interact with digital products without the option to download them

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You are authorized to share. Now you can encourage your customers to share hub links! 😉

Because entry into your hub is gated by payment, every shared link serves as a golden opportunity to introduce your asset to potential customers. Until a purchase is made, it's an exclusive window-shopping experience.

When someone shares your Kahana hub link, each new visitor can access the content only after completing a purchase.

Track your analytics and manage subscribers

Receive real-time notifications for successful purchases and manage your customer list effortlessly, all within your hub. Support and engage with your members from the comfort of your digital space.

Track your hub views and analytics and manage your subscribers all in one place.

Shield PDFs from Unauthorized Access

One key feature that sets Kahana apart is its ability to disable downloads, ensuring that once customers access your PDF within the secure hub, they can view and interact with the content but are unable to download or redistribute it. This functionality not only preserves the exclusivity of your offerings but also safeguards against unauthorized sharing.

Protect Notion workspaces, Google Docs, and Google Sheets

Kahana's infrastructure extends beyond traditional PDFs, encompassing a variety of interactive digital products like Notion databases and Google Sheets. While these dynamic formats are meant for viewing and interaction, Kahana ensures that users can engage with the content seamlessly within the secure hub without compromising its security.

Explore Kahana's digital download protection features by watching our brief video (under 3 minutes). This video provides insights into how customers receive your digital products in Kahana versus through traditional links to download.

What about preventing unauthorized screenshots?

Kahana is continuously exploring ways to detect and flag suspicious activities, including potential screen capture attempts. If you discover someone has taken unauthorized screenshots on Kahana, you can quickly kick them out of your hub. This will remove their access and ability to continue taking screenshots.

You can contact us at info@kahana.co if you come across this behavior, and this will allow us to freeze and ban accounts that are taking unauthorized screenshots.

Safeguarding creative work

Protecting our digital products from unauthorized sharing is also about guarding our creative work.

We invest significant time, energy, and creative spirit into our creations, so we want to protect them.

Safeguard your creative work

Upload your top-notch PDFs, templates, frameworks, and more, all crafted and curated by you, and monetize access without relying on a "download link." And the best part? It won't cost you a penny.

Claim your free account

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