SocialWireSearch

Copyright and takedown

Last updated 15 Oct 2026

Whose reels these are

Every reel on SocialWire belongs to the creator who posted it. We never claim a reel as ours.

What we do with a reel

  • We keep a saved copy of the reel on our own storage and play it on SocialWire. The copy is the whole reel as posted, only made smaller in file size. We do not cut, change or add to the picture or the sound.
  • Next to every saved reel we show the creator's name, a link to the creator's page, a link to the original reel on Instagram, and the date we saved our copy.
  • Today SocialWire shows no advertising and charges nothing. If that ever changes, this page will say so first.

Why we keep a copy

A reel can be edited or deleted after people have seen it. A saved copy, with its date, is a record of what was said, so a claim can still be checked later. It also lets you watch a reel next to our context without being sent away.

The law we rely on

Indian law lets a work be used, without the owner's permission, for fair dealing for the purpose of criticism or review, and for reporting current events and current affairs. The same section says that storing a work electronically for those purposes is not infringement. This is section 52(1)(a)(ii) and (iii) and its Explanation in the Copyright Act, 1957. We rely on it.

Whether a use is fair is decided case by case, and a creator may see it differently. That is why you can ask us to remove a reel, below. Giving credit does not by itself give us permission, and we do not say it does.

If you are the creator or the owner and want a reel removed

Write to our Grievance Officer (details below) and include:

  • the link to the reel on SocialWire, or a screenshot of it;
  • the link to the original reel on your Instagram account;
  • a line saying you are the owner, or are acting for the owner;
  • what you want us to do.

What happens next:

  • We reply within 24 hours to say we have your request.
  • If the reel is shown only in our Reels and Creators pages, we take our copy off the site within 48 hours of a request that shows you are the owner.
  • If the reel is used inside a Fact-check or an Issue page, where we review or criticise it, we look at your request within 15 days. We may keep the reel there as evidence for that review. We will also publish your reply next to it if you want one (see Corrections and right of reply). We always follow a court order.

If a reel is only linked or embedded from Instagram

Where we show Instagram's own player instead of our copy, the reel stays on Instagram. If the owner sends us a written complaint about such a link, we follow the 21-day step in the proviso to section 52(1)(c) of the Act: we stop providing access for 21 days or until a court tells us otherwise.

Contact

Grievance Officer name, address and email: to be added before launch.