Is Dailymotion safe? A 2025 guide to security, legality, and malware risks

Dailymotion is owned and operated by Canal+, a well-known French broadcasting company, and its website and app are generally considered safe to use. However, potential risks such as third-party links and ads that could lead to malicious websites still exist. Dailymotion also collects and shares user data, which could give privacy-conscious users pause. 

In this article, we’ll discuss what makes Dailymotion safe, what to watch out for, and how to avoid malware risks.

What is Dailymotion?

Dailymotion is a video-sharing platform, like YouTube, that allows creators to upload and share videos on almost any topic. Viewers can follow channels and independent creators, and automatically get notified when new videos are posted. Dailymotion is available online and via iOS and Android apps.

The platform earns revenue by selling ads – with earnings shared between Dailymotion and creators – and most of the videos are free to watch. Popular categories include news, entertainment, sports, music, short film, and TV. 

Dailymotion vs. YouTube

For viewers, Dailymotion is similar to YouTube in that they can browse, search, and watch videos, follow creators, and like, save (bookmark) and share videos. The primary differences between Dailymotion and YouTube for viewers are:

• Dailymotion hosts over 600 million videos, while YouTube has over 14 billion
• Dailymotion does not offer an ad-free subscription for viewers, like YouTube Premium
• YouTube has a greater variety of content, primarily due to hosting more videos

For creators, Dailymotion is similar to YouTube in that they can upload videos, embed them on their own websites, and track analytics such as the number of views. Both Dailymotion and YouTube also have revenue-sharing programs that allow creators to monetize their videos. The primary differences between Dailymotion and YouTube for creators are: 

• Dailymotion monetization access begins at 1,000 views. YouTube requires 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 watch hours in the previous 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in the previous 90 days
• Dailymotion has one revenue stream – ad revenue-sharing – while YouTube offers monetization through ad revenue sharing, memberships, Super Chats, Super Stickers, Super Thanks, and shopping
• The YouTube Partner Program is available for free. Dailymotion Pro – which isn’t required to monetize – is a subscription plan that provides creators with branding control, developer tools for content distribution and audience engagement, and better control over ads in their videos

Is Dailymotion legal?

Yes, Dailymotion is a legitimate and legal website. The company was founded in 2005 in France by Benjamin Bejbaum and Olivier Poitrey. In 2013, Dailymotion was acquired by Orange, and in 2015, Vivendi purchased a controlling stake. In 2024, Canal+ – a former subsidiary of Vivendi – became Dailymotion’s parent company. 

Today, Dailymotion has 400 employees across offices in France, New York, and Singapore. The platform is available in 191 countries and features more than 5,000 revenue-generating publishers.

Copyright issues and content legality

Dailymotion previously came under fire for pirated content and copyright violations. The site used to host TV episodes, movies, music videos, and other copyrighted materials that creators didn’t have the rights to post, prompting numerous lawsuits and takedown demands.

For example, in 2014, Dailymotion was ordered to pay broadcasting company TF1 over one million dollars for late removal of copyrighted materials, and in 2019, Italy’s Court of Rome fined Dailymotion $6.1 million for failing to remove videos owned by Mediaset. 

Today, however, Dailymotion has much stricter content policies with procedures in place to identify and remove pirated videos: 

• Video and audio “fingerprinting” that automatically detects and blocks copyrighted materials
• DMCA-compliant notice-and-takedown system with an official portal to submit copyright complaints
• Checkmarks that signify verified publishers (official broadcaster accounts)
• Suspensions and permanent bans for accounts that repeatedly upload pirated videos

Is Dailymotion safe to use? 

In general, Dailymotion is safe to use – but it’s important to understand that while the official platform is secure, it isn’t responsible for the content published by users. 

Some bad actors take advantage of this and put malicious links into video descriptions, bios, and other site areas. Some even go so far as to create ads that lead to harmful sites once you click on them.

For this reason, be sure to exercise caution when browsing, especially if you’re considering clicking on advertisements or links that could take you to a third-party site.

Dailymotion, however, is aware of the issue and implements protections, so the actual risk level is low to moderate. 

Mobile app and browser safety

Both Dailymotion.com and the app employ security features such as HTTPS and encryption, which are industry standards that protect user data from being intercepted. The app also requires minimal permissions, typically limited to storage and network access.

Both viewers and creators can safeguard their accounts with two-factor authentication, while the latter also have password-protected videos and geo-blocking, ensuring content is only displayed to the intended audiences. 

Data collection and sharing

Dailymotion collects a lot of information about its users and shares it with third-party companies, including advertisers. 

The data collected includes (but is not limited to):

• Name, email, birthday, and gender
• IP address, device ID, browser and OS settings
• Activity history, such as videos you watch and demographic interests
• Location
• Payment information (but not credit card details)

In addition, Dailymotion might augment the information it collects about you with data it gets from third-party sources, and it could use it to train AI.

While it’s common for companies to share user data with advertisers, the risk lies in what those companies do with that information. If they sell or share it with data brokers that make it publicly accessible, then it could be used by scammers to attempt to impersonate you, steal your identity, access your accounts, or steal your money. It also inadvertently leads to privacy exposure and behavioral profiling, which may also result in data misuse or breach.

Note that California and Europe residents can opt out of having their data sold to third parties. 

Tips for watching safely on Dailymotion

Even though Dailymotion is a secure platform, there are steps you can take to boost your privacy and reduce the risk of exposure to malicious content: 

• Stick to verified channels: Look for the checkmark, which means Dailymotion has verified the publisher as an authentic account or official profile that belongs to that brand or creator.
• Avoid suspicious popups or downloads: Don’t click on popups or third-party links – especially from unverified channels. If you want to follow a description link, visit the publisher’s official website directly.
• Use an ad blocker (if possible): Use an ad blocker to prevent third parties from tracking your data. Note that Dailymotion might not allow you to browse the site if it detects your ad blocker, in which case you can use a VPN.
• Use a VPN to prevent tracking: Consider using a VPN to prevent tracking your IP address and mapping it to other user data.
• Use an antivirus: Make sure your device has a trusted and up-to-date antivirus installed to prevent malware from infecting your laptop, tablet, or phone in case you accidentally click on a malicious link or file.
• Use strong passwords and 2FA: If you create a Dailymotion account, be sure to use a strong password and enable two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security and prevent unauthorized access to your data.
• Limit what personal data you share: When creating an account or writing a bio/ description, avoid sharing personal information like your address, phone number, and other sensitive details. Also, consider using privacy-oriented payment methods when buying a subscription.  

How Onerep helps protect your personal information

While the main function of platforms like Dailymotion is to provide entertainment and information, they still don’t shy away from tracking you and collecting your data. This is mostly done for targeted advertising, which is no abnormality in our day and age. However, this also vastly increases your digital footprint and scatters your information across parties you may not even be aware of.

One such party is data brokers—they gather your personal information from various sources, compile it into profiles, and publish those profiles online.  Anyone can access them simply by Googling you and learn where you live, who your associates are, how much money you make, what properties you own, and much more. Having such sensitive details easily available online makes you an easy target for phishing, financial fraud, impersonation scams, account takeover, and even identity theft.

Onerep protects you from these threats by removing your personal information from 213 data broker sites. The service scans data brokers to find your exposed profiles and sends opt-out requests on your behalf. Once removal is completed, Onerep keeps routinely rescanning the brokers to make sure your information isn’t republished.

This proactive approach keeps your personal information out of scammers’ hands and effectively protects your privacy, making your data ungooglable. 

FAQs

Does Dailymotion have viruses?

It’s highly unlikely that you could get a virus simply by browsing Dailymotion’s website or app. However, it is possible if you click a malicious link or ad. Avoid clicking third-party links/ ads – especially from unverified publishers – and make sure you have robust antivirus software to protect you in case of an accidental click. 

Is Dailymotion safe for kids or students? 

In general, Dailymotion is safe for kids and students, but it’s still important to be cautious. Dailymotion automatically restricts sensitive content for viewers under 18, but if a creator doesn’t designate a video as restricted, younger viewers could still see it unless it is reported. The best advice is to ensure minors have parental and/or teacher oversight when using Dailymotion. 

Is it legal to watch shows or movies on Dailymotion?

Yes, it is legal to watch shows and movies on Dailymotion, provided that the publisher or creator owns the media or is otherwise licensed to distribute it. However, pirated TV shows and media represent a legal gray area. That said, prosecutors typically target the companies and people illegally distributing copyrighted work – not the viewers – and we are unaware of anyone ever being prosecuted simply for streaming a video on an otherwise legitimate website. If you’re concerned, only watch content from verified channels and creators.

Is Dailymotion a safe website? 

Yes, Dailymotion is considered a safe website. It follows industry standards for data encryption and is owned by a well-known French TV broadcaster, Canal+. Still, it’s important to avoid clicking third-party links and ads that could lead to malicious third-party websites. 

Is the Dailymotion app safe?

In general, the Dailymotion app is as safe as other mainstream mobile apps. However, it’s still important to watch out for third-party ads and links that could lead to malicious websites or malware. Also keep in mind that the Dailymotion app collects and shares user data, which might give you pause if you’re concerned about your personal privacy. Make sure you manage app permissions and give access only to those required for Dailymotion to function.

Is Dailymotion better than YouTube for privacy?

Since both platforms share data with third parties such as advertisers (even if that data is anonymized), they’re very similar when it comes to privacy. However, it’s important to note that YouTube is part of the Google ecosystem, which can track you across many different services – including Gmail, Google Search, and Google Maps – so Dailymotion might be better for privacy simply because it doesn’t have Google’s extensive reach.

Is Dailymotion legit?

Yes, Dailymotion is a legit company. Its parent company, Canal+, is a reputable TV broadcaster based in France, and the video-sharing platform is available in 191 countries worldwide.