Keeping names out of file names and galleries

Keep participant names out of file names, folder titles and public galleries, and keep the name list in a separate document that only you control. Most privacy slips with event video are not dramatic. They happen in a title, a thumbnail or a shared link.

Where can a name leak?

A name can appear before anyone presses play. The usual places are:

• The file name, which shows in email, chat previews and download folders.
• The folder name, especially when the folder is shared as a link.
• The title and caption on a gallery page or a video platform.
• The thumbnail, which may show a face or a name tag.
• The link preview, which repeats the title when pasted into a group chat.
• Hidden details stored inside the file, such as date, time or device name.

The risk is higher for children, staff, patients and members of private groups. Our guide on school event filming and permissions covers the extra care needed with children.

How should files be named?

Use the event, the part of the day and a number. Do not use the person’s name. Here is an illustrative example, not a real file.

Keep the key that links item numbers to people in a separate document, stored with the same care as the guest list. Our post-event video asset planner helps you list every file you expect to receive, so the scheme covers all of them.

What are the sharing options?

The right choice depends on who could be identified and what they agreed to.

Which options are available depends on the job, so ask what your videographer can set up. Our guide on keeping a wedding or family film private goes further on viewing lists for families.

What should be settled before files are handed over?

Decide these points once, in writing, so no one has to guess later.

1. Who may rename or republish: the organiser only, or named helpers.
2. Where the name key lives: and who can open it.
3. What captions say: event and role only, unless you supply names.
4. Which versions exist: a private full recording and a shorter shareable version, for example.
5. How long the links stay active: and who switches them off.

The private and public video version planner helps assign each version to an audience. For the question of whether something should be published at all, see recording versus publishing.

What happens after upload?

We name delivered files to your scheme. Once you or your guests upload a video to a platform, that platform’s own title, tags and permissions apply, so check them after uploading. People may also download and rename a file. For deletion and keeping periods, read retention and deletion expectations.

For a legal question about your event, such as the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (amended in 2024), ask a qualified adviser.

What we confirm for your event

• Delivered files follow the naming scheme you choose.
• Whether hidden details such as date, time and device name are stripped from delivered versions.
• The sharing option suits your event: link-only, named access or direct delivery.
• You know who sees the files during editing and where they are stored.

The filming and publication responsibilities checklist is a good place to record the answers. To plan coverage with us, see our event videography service.