A good news for Content Creators- Meta just dropped a tool that is going to protect creators’ reels from being stolen. Such a win for those Creators who put their heart and soul into creating authentic content, now they can protect it from being stolen! The tool is called Facebook Content Protection. This is a mobile tool and what it is going to do is it will protect reels from being stolen and posted on platforms like Instagram and Facebook without taking prior permission.
Ifāāāāāāāā a person takes your content and shares it without your consent, you receive a notification. After that, it is up to you to decide what will happen next: whether you want to block it, track it, or ignore it. This is significant because the stealing of content has been on a rise for a while now. As per StoryBoard 18, in July 2025, Meta has deleted 10 million fake profiles that were impersonating creators. Moreover, 500,000 accounts were targeted for spammy behaviour and fake engagement.
Here’s what you can do to protect your content:
Whatāāāāāāāā Is Facebook Content Protection?
Facebook Content Protection is a mobile tool that automatically scans Facebook and Instagram for copies of your Reels. It detects both full matches and partial matches. If the content is stolen, you receive an in-app alert that displays:
- Number of views on the stolen video
- Number of followers of the account that stole the video
- If they are making money from your content
The device is always on and working quietly in the background. You post a real and Facebook Content Protection is there watching for theft, like a digital cop.
Howāāāāāāāā Content Protection on Facebook Is Done
Meta implements the same tech that is behind Meta’s Rights Manager, their copyright protection tool. It is capable of very quickly even partial content matching.
The process:
- You upload a reel on Facebook (this step is mandatory)
- Facebook Content Protection is automatically activated
- The system is constantly scanning Facebook and Instagram
- In case of a match, you receive a notification
- You decide what action to take
After signing up, no manual intervention is required. Every reel that you upload is automatically āāāāāāāāsecured.
Yourāāāāāāāā Three Choices for When Someone Steals Your Content
Facebook Content Protection is the tool that detects the theft of your Reel by a third party and you have to decide which of the three actions to take:
Option 1: Block
This action: Makes the stolen Reel not to be seen on Facebook and Instagram. Its distribution is minimized across Meta’s platforms. So basically from this you can stop the theft and you don’t even have to deal with the disputes.
Option 2: Track (Default)
This action: Lets the stolen Reel be seen but the performance is tracked in real-time. Attribution links can be added which show an “original by” label that links back to your profile or page. This is great for growing, exposure often brings a lot of opportunities.
Option 3: Release
This action: Relinquishes your claim. The stolen Reel continues to be visible. It is no longer accessible from your match āāāāāāāādashboard. This is perfect for when the content released is for a brand partner reposting.
Whoāāāāāāāā Gets Access to Facebook Content Protection?
The thing is that not everyone has access to this tool at this very moment. The Facebook Content Protection feature is accessible to:
Automatically:
- Creators within Facebook’s Content Monetization program who- besides meeting the enhanced integrity and originality requirements, maintain good behaviour
- Creators who are already employing Meta’s Rights Manager
How do you figure out if you have it?
- Find the notifications in your Feed
- Check out your Professional Dashboard
- See if there are any alerts on your profile
- Look for the “Content Protection” tab in your Professional Dashboard
- If you’re eligible, submit your application through Facebook’s āāāāāāāāwebsite
Whatāāāāāāāā Facebook Content Protection Misses
There are some materials which cannot be removed by means of blocking or takedown:
- Reaction videos: Generally, a block is not possible of people showing their reaction to your content
- Compilations: Videos which have repeated material from several different sources
- Modified content: If someone takes your work and significantly changes it, the system might not recognize the matches
The reason for these restrictions is that Meta intends to stop the system from being abused. If the system allowed anyone to block any video, it would become a tool for attacking those accounts which have genuine āāāāāāāācontent.
Consequencesāāāāāāāā for Misuse
In case of illegally utilizing Facebook Content Protection through filing fake claims for content that is not yours, Meta penalizes you by:
- Limiting the ways in which you can utilize the tool
- Revoking the access to Content Protection features
- Imposing restrictions at the account level, if any
It’s not a good idea to use Content Protection to guard content that is not āāāāāāāāyours.
Whatāāāāāāāā to do if someone wrongly accuses you of stealing their content?
Imagine the scenario where another account falsely claims the ownership of your Reel? You can challenge this by submitting a copyright takedown request to Meta through the IP reporting channel.
The process is in place. The question remains whether it is speedy and efficient.
Present Restrictions
Mobile Only
Facebook Content Protection is only available on mobile devices. Meta is working on a desktop version for the Professional Dashboard, but it is still in the early stages and not many people can use it.
No Cross-Platform Protection
This is just a protective measure for content on Facebook and Instagram. If your Reel is copied for TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or any other platform, you will have to deal with it.
Passive Enforcement
You receive notifications and can decide what to do. However, Meta does not, on its own, intervene to punish the offenders or remove the stolen content without your āāāāāāāāguidance.
Howāāāāāāāā This Connects to Meta’s Larger Plan
Facebook Content Protection is one of the ways that Meta organizes to keep up with and help the creators of the content:
In early 2025: Meta integrated Copyright Check straight into the Reels composer. The system checks your content for copyright violations even before you publish it. In case any issues are found, there is a delay in publication for up to one hour so that you can fix the problems.
Brand Rights Protection: Meta has also initiated the protection of brands and businesses to fight the illegal use of trademarks and counterfeiting.
Rights Manager extension: Even more creators will have access to the complete Rights Manager toolset.
Meta is putting in place the necessary mechanisms to be able to fight content theft on a large scale, on a continuous āāāāāāāābasis.
A Win For Content Creators
I believe that this particular move from Meta is a win for Content Creators. Because being a content creator is a full time profession! The amount of time that goes in ideating, scripting, shooting and editing a reel is insane. This tool is here to protect the creativity, hard work and efforts that content creators put. It’s going to single handily resolve the issue of content theft. That’s why the Facebook Content Protection is a win for authentic content creators. On an other note I also believe that this particular tool is going to cause a lot of beef online when creators start exposing their findings through screenshots on their platform.
