How to verify that a printed web page has not been altered

[leeana1]

Hi all, didn't know where else to go to ask this. I know you can use
headers in e-mails to verify that an e-mail has not been tampered with,
but is there any way you can do the same with a web page? I know you
can view the source, but it could always be changed. How can I go about
making printouts of a web page forum and prove that it is untampered
with in any way? Thanks in advance

 

[toronado]

Hi all, didn't know where else to go to ask this. I know you can use
headers in e-mails to verify that an e-mail has not been tampered with,
but is there any way you can do the same with a web page? I know you
can view the source, but it could always be changed. How can I go about
making printouts of a web page forum and prove that it is untampered
with in any way? Thanks in advance

Conventionally, pdf it.

 

[David Dorward]

Hi all, didn't know where else to go to ask this. I know you can use
headers in e-mails to verify that an e-mail has not been tampered with,
but is there any way you can do the same with a web page?

Retrieve it over HTTPS

I know you can view the source, but it could always be changed. How can I
go about making printouts of a web page forum and prove that it is
untampered with in any way?

Sounds like you want to prove that you haven't tampered with it (which, in
email, the headers probably wouldn't help with).

http://www.groklaw.net/articlebasic.php?story=2006062206181381 might provide
some clue as to where to get started.

 

[Per W.]

Conventionally, pdf it.

And you cant tamper the pdf`? PDF are very easy to edit with 3d party
programs. Nothing you can print yourself is safe for editing. Print to a
Postscript file and open it with some program and edit it.

/Per W.

 

[leeana1]

Yes, I was threatened on an Ebay board several times, and am filing a
restraining order on the person who lives locally. He is saying that I
am changing the pages to say what I want them to say. I need to be able
to prove that they are untampered with for the courts.
How would I retrieve it over HTTPS?
Thanks, I'm going to your link to read up but any help you can provide
would be greatly appreciated!

 

[David Dorward]

(e-mail address removed) wrote:

Please don't top post.
http://allmyfaqs.net/faq.pl?How_to_post

Yes, I was threatened on an Ebay board several times, and am filing a
restraining order on the person who lives locally. He is saying that I
am changing the pages to say what I want them to say. I need to be able
to prove that they are untampered with for the courts.
How would I retrieve it over HTTPS?

You stick https on the front of the URL instead of http ... and the website
must provide an HTTPS server - but that won't help you. All that can prove
is that the data didn't get tampered with between their server and your
client. Not that it didn't get tampered with by you afterwards.

Thanks, I'm going to your link to read up but any help you can provide
would be greatly appreciated!

The software mentioned there might help, but you should get the advice of a
lawyer with experience in the area.

 

[leeana1]

Thanks so much for your help, I have an appointment with my attorney on
Tuesday, but an concerned that the poster will report his posts and
have them removed from the boards before then, so was hoping to come up
with something! This is someone who has been stalking me and lives in
my town, and I need to be able to prove this...thanks anyways for the
friendly replies and help!
K

 

[David]

Thanks so much for your help, I have an appointment with my attorney on
Tuesday, but an concerned that the poster will report his posts and
have them removed from the boards before then, so was hoping to come up
with something! This is someone who has been stalking me and lives in
my town, and I need to be able to prove this...thanks anyways for the
friendly replies and help!
K

Printing them would put a date and time stamp on each printed page. This
might help. Sheesh have a 3rd party verify that you printed them, you
know a witness.

 

[Toby Inkster]

Hi all, didn't know where else to go to ask this. I know you can use
headers in e-mails to verify that an e-mail has not been tampered with,

No you can't. You can tamper with the headers just as easily as you can
tamper with the body.

The only way to make an e-mail tamper-proof is for the sender to include a
crypographic signature (using, e.g. PGP or SMIME). Of course, even then,
the e-mail can still be tampered with, but any tampering can be easily
detected.