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Looking for a place that has the most common key code combination used for taking screenshots in Javascript. I know this is ultimately impossible to stop but I am trying to prevent screenshots from being taken. PrintScreen is impossible it stop I know, so this is just a preventive measure for others.

NOTE And I know I'm going to get "don't waste your time" answer but like many of you, this is not my decision but what I am being told to do. So please if you know of any resource please share.

Devin Dixon
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    Ultimately *im*possible, I think you mean. And you're right: go and spend your time on something more profitable. – lonesomeday Aug 29 '11 at 13:37
  • Print screen (and other variations including using alt/ctrl) are the "printing methods". Unless the user is also using a piece of hardware they can custom bind to (which is also possible, there are some available that allow direct exporation to bmp/jpg, directly printing, etc.). – Brad Christie Aug 29 '11 at 13:38
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    This is absolutely impossible. Print screen programs are exterior to the browser and the browser can't stop it. – Joseph Marikle Aug 29 '11 at 13:38
  • Unless you work for the TSA, this is a waste of your time. – Chris Eberle Aug 29 '11 at 13:39
  • +1 because i think allthough this is not possible and would'nt be a good thing to do this is still not a bad question so i can't see a reason for downvoting. – Chris Aug 29 '11 at 13:44
  • Trying to prevent the user to get anything his computer can retrieve is not only pointless, it's also utterly infuriating. Any site trying to hide his page source may as well go back to AOL or something. – Joubarc Aug 29 '11 at 13:44
  • Like I am saying, THIS IS NOT MY CALL. Many of you have bosses and manager who ask for request that you tell them is impossible but you have to through with anyway. – Devin Dixon Aug 29 '11 at 13:46
  • If it's so sensitive that they're worried about people hitting "print screen", maybe the better solution is just NOT to show them that information. Once any information is on a client's machine, there are many methods (perfect and imperfect) of making copies. DRM is the biggest joke of the decade, and this reeks of the same attitudes. – Chris Eberle Aug 29 '11 at 13:48
  • This being a request from the boss is a very fair point, although if you get a chance, you should try to educate your boss that what he wants doesn't make sense and is a waste of time. But yeah, that's easier said than done indeed. – Joubarc Aug 29 '11 at 13:48
  • What are your bosses trying to achieve? They could just as well ask you to prevent the users from taking a photograph of their computer screen. – Amit Aug 29 '11 at 13:53
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    They want to prevent a user from taking a screenshot. I tell them that this is impossible, once its in the user's browser, its theres. I used Facebook as an example where they are using Javascript to prevent user from taking pictures off FB but if you do things like disable JS or look in the browsers resources, you can easily find the image. So there goal is to try and prevent the average user from taking a screenshot or downloading an image. Impossible yes, my call no. – Devin Dixon Aug 29 '11 at 13:56
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    Find out what your boss does to do a print screen, block that combination [if possible], go home. – epascarello Aug 29 '11 at 14:17
  • Cover everything in obnoxious watermarks so they don't want to take a screen shot? – dtanders Aug 29 '11 at 14:26

2 Answers2

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You may want to start with another discussion on the topic. Note the poster there seems to have given up the idea; perhaps you can show it to you boss as well?

Yet another discussion on the subject, with similar conclusions I'm afraid.

Then again, if your boss is immutable, maybe there is something there but it's probably rubbish. Well, you can always sell that to your boss, and if it doesn't work, a good old "told you so" will be in order.

Joubarc
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Everybody knows you can't do this.

Anyway, take a look at what Flickr did -- there, the image on-screen is made up of millions of one-pixel images. It looks like the original image, but if you right-click and copy it, you save only one pixel!

Nothing can stop print-screen, or similar approaches which scrape the frame buffer.

Heath Hunnicutt
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