FAQ

Frequently asked

Who is this platform for?
Anyone who wants to save social media content reliably — creators backing up their own posts, fans archiving favourite accounts, parents preserving family content, hobbyists collecting reference images, and so on. The forensic / audit features (sidecar JSON, hash verification, audit-logged archive) are built for the heavier-duty audiences too: journalists, OSINT analysts, legal teams, academic researchers, corporate compliance — but those features are opt-in, not the only thing the tool does. See pricing.
Do I need authorization to capture content?
Yes. By submitting a capture you attest that you have a lawful basis in your jurisdiction. That includes your own content, public-record material, journalistic work product, court-authorized discovery, your client’s authorized investigation, or another lawful basis. Unauthorized capture is prohibited and your sole liability. Full terms.
What proves a capture is authentic?
Today the file you receive is byte-identical to what the platform's CDN serves — the only transformation is wrapping it in Content-Disposition: attachment so your browser saves it. The forensic metadata sidecar (SHA-256 hash, capture timestamp, source-attribution JSON, capture session ID, audit-log linkage) is in development and will land alongside the Pro / Studio tiers. Until it ships you can re-hash the file yourself with shasum -a 256 against the source URL for an ad-hoc verification.
Will socials.download bypass log-in walls or paywalls?
No. We capture public artifacts only. We do not bypass paywalls, log-in walls, friend-only privacy controls, or DRM. If a post requires login to view it, we won’t see it. If the account is private, we won’t capture from it.
What platforms does it cover?
Working today: Instagram (posts + profile preview), TikTok (single videos + profile preview), Reddit, X (Twitter), Pinterest, Threads, Tumblr, Bluesky, Vimeo, and VSCO photos. Ten platforms working end-to-end through the web app.

Coming next: YouTube (gated by their 2026 PoToken / visitor-data attestation we're building around), Mastodon, Twitch clips, Substack, Bilibili, Rumble.

Extension-only: VSCO videos, Instagram stories, TikTok stories — these platforms gate the underlying media behind authenticated sessions that the web app can't replicate without a logged-in account on our side. The Chrome extension uses your own logged-in browser session and gets them.

Not yet supported: Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat. These have aggressive anti-scraping that requires real-account sessions; not a priority for the MVP.
How does the case archive work?
Today every capture streams through the worker and is delivered straight to your browser — nothing is persisted server-side. The audit-logged case archive (30-day retention on Pro, 90-day on Studio) is in development and will land with the rest of the Pro / Studio feature set. When it ships, captures + sidecars will be retained, re-downloadable, and deletable per your plan’s retention window.
Can I use these captures in litigation or as evidence?
Today the artifact you receive is the platform’s original file, untransformed. For evidentiary use you should hash and timestamp the file on receipt yourself (e.g., shasum -a 256 file.mp4 > file.sha256), and document your capture-time chain of custody separately. The forensic metadata sidecar that does this automatically is part of the Pro/Studio roadmap. Whether a specific capture is admissible in a specific proceeding is always a question of law and procedure for counsel in your jurisdiction — we do not provide legal advice.
How do you handle DMCA and takedown requests?
Valid DMCA notices are acted on within 24-48 hours of receipt. Procedure, counter-notification process, and audit log are documented at /legal/dmca. Repeat-infringer accounts are terminated.
How do I reach a person on the team?
contact@socials.download for general questions. contact@socials.download for takedown notices. contact@socials.download for subpoenas, preservation requests, and counsel correspondence.