BleepingComputer.com: How to restrict users: Copy-paste-print-print screen

Dear members:

I would like to know how to restrict visitors of my website from:

1. Copy-cut-paste of data
2. Print
3. Print-screen
4- Right click

How to disable all these?

Thank you very much

Happy Holidays,

KK.

This post has been edited by Khalouda: 25 December 2009 - 05:01 AM

We have had this conversation a few times on here before. It goes like this.

I say, "You can't. Once the code is on my computer, I can do with it what I want."
Someone else says, "Oh yes you can, you use an obfuscator. I use <insert name of software here>."
I say, "No, you can't. Browsers can not render obfuscated code, so at some point, it has to be converted to something the browser can read."
Someone says, "Oh yeah, I'll prove it. Give me the code that I used to create <insert web page here>."
I sigh, open Firebug, and return their code to them in about 30 seconds.
Someone says, "Well, I used an old version of <insert name of software here>. The new version works great."
I repeat, "No, it doesn't. Once it is on my computer, I can do with it what I want."
Someone goes away and never comes back.

If you want to protect data, you use Flash, Silverlight, or Java Applets. At least that will make it much harder.

For Reference

Also, I don't think its possible to disable the user from using the Print Screen button because that's a feature built into Windows.

The Internet is an open information system. Once information is delivered to the client machine, it is out of the control of whomever made it. Full stop.

The protocols and standards upon which the Internet is based make absolutely no provision for any sort of DRM or content protection whatsoever. Further, actions such as copy/paste, printing, and print screen are controlled by the operating system, not the browser. Exposing this kind of system-level control to any website is a very, very bad idea that no one would ever consider putting into their browser or operating system. It would be considered an enormous security hole.

In the end you just have to realize that anything you put on a public website is accessible in its entirety to everyone on the Internet. So it follows that if you have some sort of digital media whose protection from illicit copying is paramount, you just don't put it on your website.

If someone is determined to get your content, they will. They could do it groovicus's way, or they could use a specialized program such as wget or WinHTTrack to download every single file you put on your site.

All that said, it's considered very bad form for any website to alter the expected functionality or existing characteristics of the user's computer or web browser in any what whatsoever unless such changes are explicitly requested by the user. This includes attempting to disable certain functions, resizing the user's browser window, using grossly non-standard widgets, etc.

This post has been edited by Amazing Andrew: 26 December 2009 - 04:14 AM

Quote

Yep. It gives people a good reason to not go to your website.

When i was 13 i created my first website on geocities. Myths_Bot_World(RIP). If a user right clicked any where a Messagebox Dialogue would appear notifying the user not to do this again. A variable was set. If the user did decide to try again they would be pleased to find they are now flooded with 30 Messageboxs with text along the lines of "LAMER!!!! RIGHT CLICK BAN", "INFECTION DOWNLOADING 10%", "INFECTION DOWNLOADING 20%" and so on until they reached the last Messagebox in a indefinite loop.

This feature never really took off. How how sad and silly was i lol

This post has been edited by ident: 24 January 2012 - 12:21 PM

I concur with others on this topic. It is impossible to protect your data once its out.

If you want to protect your data from being printed, copy pasted etc., then better distribute it in form of a PDF file with all kinds of restrictions set on it.

Agreed, there is zero you can do to 100% prevent people ripping your content, you can however do something after the fact, you can set up a Google Alert for bits of your content, if your content appears elsewhere on the web you get an email about it. At this point you send the infringer an email with an attached invoice for use of your content and point out that if the email is ignored you will send their ISP (Internet Service Provider) a takedown notice.

Read more here

Also when creating Google Alerts surround the words you use with "" marks and it is best to make sure that you use certain words, maybe even a typo or grammatical error in your content so that Google doesn't keep sending you lots of similarly worded articles.

quinch, on 03 February 2012 - 09:32 PM, said:

Some hosts don't even care about DMCA notices...they actually laugh at it, i know, i'm in the business.

There's really nothing you can do, your HTML/CSS is always going to be accessible, it has to be in order for the web browser to process it and your website to work.