Copying Web Page Content - Disable

Matt · May 9, 2005

When browsing a web page a user has the ability to highlight content on
a page (by holding down the left mouse button and dragging the mouse
over the desired content). Is there a way to disable this option? I
assume there isn't but I have to try.

RobB · May 9, 2005

Matt said:
When browsing a web page a user has the ability to highlight content on
a page (by holding down the left mouse button and dragging the mouse
over the desired content). Is there a way to disable this option? I
assume there isn't but I have to try.

That sounds ominous. Anyway...

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">

if ('undefined' != typeof document.onselectstart)
{
document.onselectstart = function()
{
return false;
}
}
else
{
document.onmousedown = function()
{
return false;
}
document.onmouseup = function()
{
return true;
}
}

</script>
</head>
<body>
<p>
When browsing a web page a user has the ability to highlight content on

a page (by holding down the left mouse button and dragging the mouse
over the desired content). Is there a way to disable this option? I
assume there isn't but I have to try.
</p>
</body>
</html>

Yet another chapter in the endless war against the user.

Randy Webb · May 9, 2005

Matt said:
When browsing a web page a user has the ability to highlight content on
a page (by holding down the left mouse button and dragging the mouse
over the desired content). Is there a way to disable this option?

No, but some people may lead you to believe otherwise. They may also
lead you to believe you can disable the mouse buttons but you can't do
that either.

I assume there isn't but I have to try.

Your assumption is correct.

Richard Cornford · May 9, 2005

Matt said:
When browsing a web page a user has the ability to
highlight content on a page (by holding down the left
mouse button and dragging the mouse over the desired
content). Is there a way to disable this option? I
assume there isn't but I have to try.

Broadly no there is not. IE provides an - onselectstart - event that may
be cancelled, and any browser exposing the selection itself to scripts
should allow that selection to be cleared. Both approached are dependent
on client-side scripting and can be disabled, either individually or by
disabling scripting on the browser. Neither will do anything to prevent
the copying of page content, because there are so many other ways of
doing that anyway, drag selection is just the immediate and obvious
approach.

Cancelling/clearing selections can be useful for other reasons, such as
avoiding undesirable visual artefacts while, for example, animating the
mouse dragging of an arbitrary absolutely positioned page element as
part of GUI.

Richard.

kaeli · May 9, 2005

When browsing a web page a user has the ability to highlight content on
a page (by holding down the left mouse button and dragging the mouse
over the desired content). Is there a way to disable this option?

With javascript, kinda sorta, as others have posted.
But bear in mind that for some of us, disabling script takes one click. For
others, two or three.

--

askMe · May 10, 2005

In order to prevent people from copying content from your page, you
have to turn the text into a picture (or some other peculiar object)
which is not able to be copied the same was as text. Try to drag and
copy a flash object or a pdf to see what I mean.

But why do you want to prevent people from copying your text?

http://www.askblax.com

Randy Webb · May 10, 2005

askMe said:
In order to prevent people from copying content from your page, you
have to turn the text into a picture (or some other peculiar object)
which is not able to be copied the same was as text.

That doesn't work either. If you want to prevent people from copying
content, don't put it on the web.

Try to drag and copy a flash object or a pdf to see what I mean.

File>Save As. Hmmmmm

But why do you want to prevent people from copying your text?

Lack of knowledge of the web, and how it works is the #1 answer to that
question, even if people fail to realize it.

http://www.askblax.com

Site not responding.

But, if your responses in Usenet are indicative of the responses on that
site, its better *not* to ask blax.

Read this groups FAQ before posting, it contains a ton of useful
information.

Lasse Reichstein Nielsen · May 10, 2005

askMe said:
In order to prevent people from copying content from your page, you
have to turn the text into a picture (or some other peculiar object)
which is not able to be copied the same was as text. Try to drag and
copy a flash object or a pdf to see what I mean.

Well, you can select text in a pdf

Anyway, if people can see the content, they can also copy it, if not in
any other way, then by rewriting it letter by letter (and screen-capturing
images). For reasonable web pages, there are lots of simpler ways, but in
the end, the content is not safe.

But why do you want to prevent people from copying your text?

Indeed.

This is a security question. One should never try to implement
security without first assessing the threat it is supposed to counter.

What is the threat from people copying text - i.e., what losses can it
lead to. Whatever counter-measures once chooses, they should not cost
more than the potential loss.

/L

askMe · May 11, 2005

Randy said:
That doesn't work either. If you want to prevent people from copying
content, don't put it on the web.

It works. It is why so many software companies have chosen that route.

File>Save As. Hmmmmm

The question was how to prevent select, cut and paste and/or
right-clicking to save. Sure, you can save a whole web page, but the
parts that are not text will only be saved as objects (uneditable 9x
out of 10) which is how they were presented on the web.

Lack of knowledge of the web, and how it works is the #1 answer to that
question, even if people fail to realize it.

Partially correct.

Site not responding.

You're obviously a very lucky person.

But, if your responses in Usenet are indicative of the responses on that
site, its better *not* to ask blax.

You don't have to askblax if you don't want to. Nothing ventured,
nothing gained.

Read this groups FAQ before posting, it contains a ton of useful
information.

For what?

http://www.askblax.com
weekly

askMe · May 11, 2005

If people copy your text, how is it a security question? Copying code
maybe? Scripting on the events? Please explain.

Thanks.

http://www.askblax.com

Mark Preston · May 11, 2005

askMe said:
It works. It is why so many software companies have chosen that route.

Nope - copy the image, feed it into your OCR and you get the text.

Randy Webb · May 11, 2005

askMe said:
It works. It is why so many software companies have chosen that route.

Are you as anally retentive as you seem to be? Attempting to prevent the
copying of *anything* on the web is a futile attempt. Its the very basis
of the WWW to start with - *sharing* of information. But, you are
welcome to prove me wrong. Post a (working) URL to a page, and I will
copy/paste whatever is on it, and tell you how I did it. Even if it is
nothing more than opening Notepad and typing it myself. It is *not* safe
on the web.

The question was how to prevent select, cut and paste and/or
right-clicking to save.

And the answer is simple - You can NOT stop it. But again, you are
welcome to attempt to prove me wrong.

Sure, you can save a whole web page, but the parts that are not text will
only be saved as objects (uneditable 9x out of 10) which is how they were
presented on the web.

Is your knowledge of anything else better than your knowledge of the web
and the way it works? I hope so.

Partially correct.

No, totally correct.

You're obviously a very lucky person.

Irony is that you admit it. Odd.

You don't have to askblax if you don't want to. Nothing ventured,
nothing gained.

I might try later, it could provide me with some entertainment.

enrique · May 11, 2005

If you display your content in a Flash movie, they can't copy it.

Richard Cornford · May 11, 2005

enrique said:
If you display your content in a Flash movie, they
can't copy it.

Unless they run the Flash movie though an example of the software
designed to turn a SWF back into an FLA, and then use Flash to extract
the original text. (or any of a number of alternative approaches that a
little google searching will quickly turn up)

Richard.

kaeli · May 11, 2005

If you display your content in a Flash movie, they can't copy it.

LOL
That's a good one.

There's a big difference between "can't" and "most likely won't bother to".
It's a bit of a pain, but it certainly IS possible.
I have various means of getting what I want. Including an OCR program to
extract text from graphics so I don't have to re-type it all. Exports it all
nice into Word for me. Neat, eh?

--
--
~kaeli~
Cthulhu saves our souls and redeems them for valuable
coupons later.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace

Randy Webb · May 11, 2005

enrique said:
If you display your content in a Flash movie, they can't copy it.

Thanks, I needed that laugh. Flash decompiler's are a dime-a-dozen when
you know where to look on the web.

--
Randy
comp.lang.javascript FAQ - http://jibbering.com/faq & newsgroup weekly
Answer:It destroys the order of the conversation
Question: Why?
Answer: Top-Posting.
Question: Whats the most annoying thing on Usenet?

askMe · May 11, 2005

Mark said:
Nope - copy the image, feed it into your OCR and you get the text.

True. But again, you cannot select, cut and paste. Creating the
object deters copying. Most people will not bother to run stuff
through OCR, reduce it to bytes, or deal with object manipulation.

All things are possible, yes. Software companies that use objects as a
deterrent have also *allowed* the decompilers (oh I forgot the tech
term (but, you know what I mean, right?)), for exposure to their
product and to enhance what their tech writers *forgot* to explain that
might help you complete your task. Is conversion to byte code,
modifying the extension of the output, or other manipulation of objects
that were not designed to be *easily* copied, cut and pasted posing a
security problem? Sandboxes getting any better, iow?

askMe · May 11, 2005

Unless they run the Flash movie though an example of the software
designed to turn a SWF back into an FLA, and then use Flash to extract
the original text. (or any of a number of alternative approaches that a

little google searching will quickly turn up)

Richard.
<<

I thought even flash had a setting to prevent extraction/copying of swf
files.

askMe · May 11, 2005

There's a big difference between "can't" and "most likely won't
bother to". <<

Exactly! There is freeware abound for converting just about anything
to anything else.
http://www.askblax.com

Mark Preston · May 12, 2005

askMe said:
True. But again, you cannot select, cut and paste.

Can once you have the text. The point is to show that anything you
*send* on the 'net can be *received* and once you have received it you
can do what they hell yu like with it - if it is worth your time.

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Copying Web Page Content - Disable

Matt

RobB

Randy Webb

Richard Cornford

kaeli

askMe

Randy Webb

Lasse Reichstein Nielsen

askMe

askMe

Mark Preston

Randy Webb

enrique

Richard Cornford

kaeli

Randy Webb

askMe

askMe

askMe

Mark Preston

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