BowerBird gives you multiple ways to protect your content.
1) Only Verified Journalists can download content
By default, only verified journalists can download content from a BowerKit, and this can only occur if a BowerKit is active.
2) Access Control
When a BowerKit has Access Control turned On, you get to approve each person and give them specific access. Users you give access to through Access Control do not need to be a Verified Journalist.
Access levels include:
View only
Low-res downloads
High-res downloads
3) Hide your BowerKit
When a BowerKit is hidden, it will not be visible on Discover. It does not secure your content in any other way, it just hides it from public view. Anyone with a direct link (provided by you or a third party) to your BowerKit will still be able to view it, but only Verified Journalists will be able to download content (unless Access Control is turned on). Hiding a BowerKit is about keeping your project quiet, not locking down content.
You can learn more about the differences between Active, Inactive and Hidden BowerKit here.