Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation when you click on links to products in this post. For an explanation of my Advertising Policy, visit this page. Thanks for reading!
How to get anonymous video hosting, step by step.
Here are the steps you need to take in order to get anonymous video hosting on many respectable sites so that you can not only protect your identity, but those of your users as well:
- Create an anonymous identity.
- Establish your anonymous identity.
- Protect your viewer’s identities.
- Maintain your anonymity.
In this post we will go over each of those steps above in more detail as well as answer other frequently asked questions on getting anonymous video hosting.
Let’s start with how to go about getting anonymous video hosting for yourself.
Making an Anonymous User Profile.
Create an Identity.
First, you’re going to have to create a new identity that will register on all the websites, apply for YouTube accounts, etc. This new identity can’t be tied back to you in any way.
Actually, this is exactly what Bitcoin founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, did in creating Bitcoin. It’s important that you don’t use any email address, name, online nicknames/usernames, etc. that can be tied to your real name.
Establishing an identity.
You don’t need to create an entire false identity. What you’re after is just some anonymity.
However, I would suggest using a free, privacy-focused email service. ProtonMail is a good choice, but there are others.
You can even use Gmail, but you’d have to set up a Google Account first, of course using a pseudonym.
You’d also be well advised to use a VPN and even another computer to do so. See below.
In fact, you can even get a Proton VPN and ProtonMail at the same time. You may even get a discount or a special offer on both.
With your new email address you can create a free site (WordPress.com would be fine for this) and a video hosting account, through Jetpack.
Although you could actually open a YouTube account and channel anonymously, if you’re concerned about the anonymity of your visitors’ anonymity, you might choose to avoid YouTube to be on the safe side.
However, Dailymotion and a few other channels would be fine, or take your pick.
Again, you’ll need to take some basic precautions while operating this new identity.
For example, install a browser separate from the ones you are currently using to create and sign into these accounts.
You may even want to use a separate computer for the new identity. Used laptops that are capable of running a web browser and all the very basics could be had for under $150 on eBay or Craigslist.
Besides, the act of switching computers will remind you of which accounts go with which identity, etc.
Using a VPN while creating and operating them might be overkill at this point, but at least use one when setting up your accounts, email addresses etc.
Besides, those who you’re concerned about finding out your true identity aren’t going to have those kinds of resources to do so anyway.
Protecting your viewer’s identities.
There’s only so much you can do on your end to protect your viewer’s identity.
If you make sure that your videos are on a platform which doesn’t require anybody to sign in, like the ones I’ve mentioned above, that’s about all you can do.
Unless a viewer is purposefully trying to remain anonymous, they will sooner or later be identified.
You can do your part by taking the most basic of privacy measures, like hosting the video on a site which does not keep or publish logs and doesn’t require personal information.
Even then, some of your viewers will end up talking about your videos with their real names on forums or social media etc. So expect it. Again, there’s only so much you can do.
Besides, keeping yourself anonymous should be your highest priority.
Maintaining your anonymity.
Unless you become the target of a dedicated, experienced investigator or hacker, these simple precautions should be more than enough to anonymously get video hosting.
Believe it or not, a lot of people who want to remain anonymous while uploading videos even for all sorts of legitimate reasons and still most take less care of that anonymity than what I went through above without any real risk.
Where can I post videos anonymously?
Mainstream video platforms to host your videos anonymously.
In addition to YouTube and Dailymotion above, there’s also other mainstream video hosting services like Shutterfly and Veoh.
However, if you want to host all your video content on your own website anonymously without third parties, then your best bet would be to go with an offshore hosting plan that specializes in privacy and DMCA take down notices.
Offshore Anonymous Video Hosting.
One such Offshore company that provides anonymous video hosting is Iceland based Orangewebsite. Check them out if you want to avoid third party video hosting. You can even pay anonymously with Bitcoin!
Tor.
At the extreme end as I mentioned above, you can release your videos through a Tor anonymous video hosting service. There are several anonymous video hosting services on Tor actually. But do so at your own risk!
However, one such service, Freedom Hosting Reloaded, is a special video hosting service that can only be accessed over the Tor network. Again, at your own risk.
This will obviously alienate some viewers, since it’s not for everybody.
But those who would be willing to download a Tor browser just to watch your videos, you can guarantee that, by default, everyone who views your videos will leave no trace of doing so on their computers or in their ISP logs.
Obviously, this doesn’t prevent someone from admitting that they watched your videos though, so keep that in mind.
Personally, I don’t recommend anyone using the Dark Web for anonymous video hosting.
For most of us though you can remain quite anonymous through legitimate means and platforms like the ones I mention in this post as well as hosting your videos through an offshore, anonymous yet above board Web Hosting Provider like Orangewebsite.
Are there any sites that offer free anonymous video hosting?
Actually, there aren’t as many “free anonymous video hosting” hosting companies as I had thought, if you leave out Vimeo, Dailymotion and YouTube.
But I did find one that looks interesting, “Gofile – File sharing platform, anonymous and free”
It’s a file sharing service, but they do offer free anonymous video hosting as well.
Does imgur offer an anonymous video upload plan and hosting?
Yes, imgur does offer an anonymous video upload plan and hosting.
However, you are only limited to 60 seconds per video. You might be asking, “What’s the difference between a video uploaded on imgur and a GIF?”
Well, unlike a GIF, the video upload you can do on imgur can have sound, which of course, separates it from a GIF which doesn’t.
What is Streamable and is it anonymous?
Streamable is anonymous for video hosting up to a point.
Streamable does have a free service which allows you to remain anonymous, yet still upload any video! Too good to be true.
Well, not so fast! With Streamable, in order for you to remain anonymous, you are limited to 250MB upload with a 10 minute time limit.
They also have other pay plans, which of course, offer higher limits on video hosting uploads.
In fact, these paid plans are seemingly unlimited.
However, in order to remain anonymous in using this video hosting service you do need to provide them with some form of payment details.
Unfortunately, Streamable does not accept Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency as a form of payment.
So you’d have to figure out the payment details on your own in order to remain anonymous using Streamable.
Anonymous video hosting, conclusions.
It is possible to get anonymous video hosting. The question is “Just how anonymous do you want or need to be?”
You can go full on rogue, deep and dark, use a VPN, get some Bitcoin and set yourself up on Tor.
Or you can use more acceptable ways, still get anonymous video hosting and be able to come out of your basement.
For the purposes of this post, I focussed on the latter. Why?
Well, for most of us, it is possible and easier to simply use many of the services that we are already familiar with on the worldwide web like, YouTube and Dailymotion, etc. to host our videos and do this anonymously.
However, the key here when being anonymous and using a video hosting provider like YouTube, is all dependent on how you sign up for the services. That’s the key.
As I’ve mentioned above and throughout this post, you need to be very careful when creating a user identity that is separate from your own and that is virtually untraceable when signing up for these open public platforms.
If you want to go a little deeper in anonymous video hosting, but still remain above board and secure I would highly advise you to try an offshore anonymous hosting service like Orangewebsite. They even accept Bitcoin, so the anonymous payment issue could also be taken care of as well.
Finally, you can also go full rogue and use the deep dark web through Tor. Which again, I do not recommend.
I do not recommend anyone using a Tor service (.onion) for that matter, which is one in the same actually.
Although you may be able to get everything anonymously through the deep dark web, you can also get some undesired things too as a result. So just don’t use it! Use the legitimate ways and platforms to host your videos anonymously, if you need to.
Just remember to dot your I’s and cross your T’s when creating an anonymous user profile, before signing up to them.
Sources: “The potential harms of the Tor anonymity network cluster disproportionately in free countries”
