Videos are everywhere today, and not just on our TVs. With a camera on most mobile phones and laptops, videos are rapidly becoming the medium for sharing opinions, opening up about personal lives, and recording events as they are being witnessed. While videos live on many platforms, YouTube remains the largest video sharing platform on the internet—and of course, the source of valuable evidence for discovery and litigation.
But should you preserve video for legal uses?
Unlike a static website or social media with text and pictures, video provides a different challenge to capturing the content, as both the page it’s on and the video itself can provide a wealth of information.
It goes without saying that documenting the video itself is important because that’s where the bulk of the content lives. However, below the video, you can find details on who uploaded it and when. When the link of the uploader is clicked, there’s further information about the user who uploaded the video.
You can also find other relevant information, such as how many times the video has been viewed, the number of likes and dislikes it has received, and the comments posted by other YouTube users. These details are important to capture as they can provide more context around the video.
At Page Vault, we advise our clients to capture both the page and video in a legally-defensible manner: capturing the associated metadata of the page and the video, and remaining outside of the chain of custody. A subscription to Page Vault Browser provides an easy-to-use interface to capture both the web page and the video, with affidavits available for any captures that are made. Or if you would prefer to outsource, our capture professionals can make the capture for you.
Because video content is so easy to create today, ensuring that the video itself and its supporting information is correctly documented and collected is critical. If you are interested in collecting a YouTube account and need help, contact us!