Screenshot blocking: Difference between revisions
CopyeditorHF (talk | contribs) Added citation, minor grammar edits |
CopyeditorHF (talk | contribs) Tonal edits, reworded in more neutral, professional language. Moved part of "It's a local file" to "Why it's a problem". Added comments about argumentation, requesting other opinions or expansion of argumentation. |
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==Why it happens== | ==Why it happens== | ||
Companies tend to | Companies tend to cite the following reasons for blocking screenshots: | ||
'''Protecting sensitive information''' | '''Protecting sensitive information''' | ||
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===Overuse=== | ===Overuse=== | ||
Some apps implement screenshot blocking in situations where it is unnecessary. For example, since 2018, Chrome has blocked screenshots while in | Some apps implement screenshot blocking in situations where it is unnecessary. For example, since 2018, Chrome has blocked screenshots while in Incognito mode. It is unclear what this restriction is meant to protect against, given that Incognito browsing already functions by not saving history or cookies. | ||
There are | There are legitimate reasons to take a screenshot in Incognito mode. Developers may need to capture how a website looks to first-time visitors, or users might want to save information temporarily without adding it to their browsing history. In these cases, blocking screenshots serves no meaningful security purpose and only prevents the device owner from using their phone’s features as intended. | ||
=== Ineffective === | |||
Screens can be photographed from an external device. The quality of the image is likely to be lower, but it generally does not prevent someone from being able to reach alphanumerical information such as banking details and text-based messages.<!-- (Recently moved from: "It's a local file) Not sure this is a convincing argument. Just because someone can do something through one means, it doesn't follow that another means should be allowed. There is a counterargument to be made that making something more difficult acts as a deterrent, meaning fewer people would do it and it is therefore successful on that level. --> | |||
==Incidents== | ==Incidents== | ||
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==It's a local file== | ==It's a local file== | ||
When you take a screenshot, the screenshot is stored locally inside the encrypted internal storage of your smartphone, protected | When you take a screenshot, the screenshot is stored locally inside the encrypted internal storage of your smartphone, protected by a user's lockscreen credentials. As a local file, it remains fully under the user's control.<!-- I question whether this is a convincing argument against screenshot blocking. If a screenshot is under a user's control, they could choose to disseminate the screenshot at anytime. When screenshot blocking is defended by citing the privacy of others, e.g., WhatsApp, a third-party gaining full control over the image is the basis of their argument. --> | ||
==External displays== | ==External displays== | ||