Leak Detector

How do I find out who leaked my ARC?

Leak Detector tells you whose copy a pirated file, or some text copied from one, came from. Every copy made in File Watermarker, every ARC sent when you approve readers in ARC Tracker, and every file a reader downloads from a Reader Magnet has the reader's name stamped on the page. It also carries hidden marks in the file and in the book's own text that point back to that one copy, and they stay even if someone crops the stamp off. To use it, open Leak Detector and drop the pirated PDF or EPUB on the page, or paste at least 200 words of text copied from it, as it is and without retyping. It checks straight away, in your browser, so the file is never uploaded. A match shows who the copy was made for, the book and the date, with an Add to Piracy Monitor button that logs it or adds it to a listing you already have. What it can't find: copies made before the hidden marks were added carry only the visible stamp. EPUBs carry the most, and the marks survive copy and paste. PDFs carry less and can lose them if printed to a new PDF or converted. Retyped or scanned text carries nothing. A match is evidence, not proof. It shows whose copy it was, not who shared it, because a copy can be passed on. Ask before you accuse.

How do I check a pirated PDF or EPUB with Leak Detector?

Leak Detector reads the hidden marks in copies made by File Watermarker, ARC Tracker and Reader Magnets, and tells you who a copy was made for. Check a file 1. Download the pirated file to your computer. 2. Open Leak Detector from the sidebar. 3. Make sure the Upload a file tab is selected. 4. Drag the file onto the page, or click Choose a file and pick it. The check starts as soon as you add the file. While it runs you'll see Reading the marks…. The file is read in your browser and isn't uploaded anywhere. You can drop the file anywhere on the Leak Detector page, not only on the box. On other pages of the app, dropping a PDF or EPUB offers a choice of tools; pick Leak Detector to check it there. What files work - PDF and EPUB files up to 50 MB. - A plain text (.txt) file dropped on the page is moved into the Paste some text tab and checked as text. For anything else, copy some text out of it and paste it instead. Reading the result A match says This looks like the copy made for the reader, then lists their Email, the Book (or Reader magnet), when the copy was Made, and what was Found: a hidden ID in the file's properties, hidden text in the file, or invisible characters in the book's own text. To check another file, click Check a different file. A file you've already checked shows its earlier result straight away. A match shows whose copy it was, not who shared it. A copy can be passed on by someone else, so use it to start a conversation rather than to accuse anyone.

Can Leak Detector check text I copied from a pirated book?

Yes. If you can read the pirated book online but can't download the file, or the file won't open, you can paste text from it instead. Check pasted text 1. Open the pirated copy and select at least 200 words, about a page. Copy it as it is, without retyping anything. 2. Open Leak Detector from the sidebar. 3. Click the Paste some text tab. 4. Paste the text into Text copied from the book. Pasting starts the check straight away. If you type or edit in the box instead, the check runs once you pause. The word count under the box shows how many words you have and how many more are needed. Text from a PDF page works too. Why copying matters The marks in a book's text are invisible characters that come along when you copy and paste. Retyped text, text from a scan or photo, or text that has been cleaned up carries none of them, so it can't be traced. Limits - At least 200 words. With fewer you'll see Paste at least 200 words (about a page) so there is enough to read. - Don't paste a whole book. Very long text gets That is a lot of text. Paste a few pages, not the whole book. EPUB copies carry these text marks most reliably. Copies made before hidden marks were added only carry the visible stamp with the reader's name.

What can I do after Leak Detector finds whose copy it was?

When Leak Detector finds a match, two buttons appear under the result. Add to Piracy Monitor 1. Click Add to Piracy Monitor. Piracy Monitor opens. 2. If you have no report for that book yet, the Add Piracy Report form opens with the book and a note about the leaked copy filled in. 3. Paste the address of the page where you found the copy into Infringing URL, then click Add Report. If you already have reports for that book, you'll see Add to an existing report? with a list of them. A report that already records this exact copy is marked already records this copy. - Click Add to this report to add the finding to that report's timeline. - Click It's a new listing to start a new report instead. From there you can send a takedown notice as usual. Adding reports needs edit access to Piracy Monitor on the account. Flag on reader profile If the copy has an email address on record, click Flag on reader profile. The button changes to Flagged on reader profile. The flag then shows: - On the reader's page in Reader Profiles, as Copy traced to this reader, with the book and date. - In ARC Tracker, as a Leak flag tag next to that reader. The flag records whose copy it was, not who shared it. A copy can be forwarded or an account shared. Clear a flag 1. Open Reader Profiles from the sidebar and open the reader. 2. In Copy traced to this reader, click Clear next to the entry.

Leak Detector says no hidden marks found or won't check my file. What now?

No hidden marks found This doesn't mean the file is safe to ignore. Common reasons: - The copy was made before hidden marks were added, so it only has the visible stamp with the reader's name. - The file was converted, printed to a new PDF, or run through a cleaning tool, which can remove hidden marks. - It isn't one of your files. - For pasted text: there was too little of it, or it was retyped. Open the file and look for the visible stamp too. If you only tried a PDF, pasting text copied from it may still work. A mark from Author's Toolbox, but not one of your copies The file has a mark from the app, but it doesn't match any copy in the account you're using. It may have been made by another author, or the record of the copy was deleted. If you work across more than one account, switch to the account that sent the copy and check again. Messages when adding a file - Only PDF and EPUB files can be checked. Copy some text out of the file and use Paste some text instead. - That file is over 50 MB, which is too big to check here. - That PDF could not be opened (or EPUB): the file may be damaged, locked, or not really that type. Paste text copied from it instead. - That text file is too big. Paste a few pages instead of the whole book. Messages when checking several things - Still checking the last one. Add the next when it finishes. Only one check runs at a time. - That's a lot of checks in a minute. You can run up to 6 checks a minute. Wait the number of seconds shown and try again. Re-checking a file or text you've already checked doesn't count. I can't open Leak Detector If you see No Access, your collaborator role doesn't include Watermarking, Storage, ARC & Query Tracker, which Leak Detector is part of. Ask the account owner to change your role in Settings.