Is my video public once I share a link?

Unlisted by default, honestly explained: what actually protects your link, what does not, and when to add a real lock.

No. A share link is unlisted, not public. The address is long and random, HoldFast never lists it on any public page, and search engines are told not to index it. But unlisted is not locked: anyone who has the URL can open it, including anyone it gets forwarded to, until you add a gate.

What unlisted actually means

Three specific facts, stated plainly:

• The address ends in a random string nobody can guess or enumerate.
• Every review, reel, and presentation page carries a header telling search engines not to index it, and the site's robots rules exclude those paths as well. Your cut will not surface in a search result.
• Nothing inside HoldFast publishes it: the link exists only where you send it.

What none of that does is stop a person who has the URL from opening it, or from passing it along. Treat the default like a private screening room with an unlocked door.

When to add a real lock

For anything sensitive (unreleased campaigns, unannounced products, rough assemblies), turn the lock on in the link's settings:

Screenshot: link-privacy-settings-1
Unlisted by default; the lock is one setting away.

• A password sits in front of everything the link serves: the video, the comments, and the downloads, not only the front page. See password protection & expiry.
• An expiry date takes the whole link dark on schedule, so nothing lives on in an inbox for a year.
• Presentations can also require a work email before opening. See protect a deck.

You can see who actually opened it

The honest trade of a shareable link is that you cannot control forwarding, but you can see its effects. Each link reports the companies that opened it, and named people where viewers identified themselves through a comment, an email gate, or a personalized link. If a link you sent to one agency starts showing viewers from three companies, you will know, and you can lock or expire it on the spot. See how to see who watched.