Protecting Blogger Content

Introduction

Knowledge is not truly free! Someone always pays the price.

  • Behind every freely accessible article or tutorial lies the hard work of researchers, writers and developers who make that content possible.
  • It is understandable, then, that creators may want to protect their work from being copied, pasted or scraped without permission.

Implementing technical measures to prevent copying or printing can feel justified, especially if your content is monetized through memberships, premium subscriptions or ad revenue models that rely on users remaining on your site.

  • Limiting unauthorized redistribution helps you retain control over your content's reach and value.

However, such restrictions come with trade-offs.

  • They can negatively affect the user experience, particularly for readers who want to highlight text, take notes or print content for personal study.
  • These frustrations may lead to reduced engagement or even deter returning visits.

Importantly, no client-side protection is foolproof.

  • While basic measures can deter casual users (those without technical knowledge), anyone with moderate IT skills can easily bypass them.
  • They can disable JavaScript, inspect the DOM, extract content from the browser’s developer tools or simply take screenshots and run OCR (optical character recognition) to recover text.
  • These technical barriers may reduce casual misuse, but they would not stop determined individuals from copying or scraping your content.

Therefore, before implementing restrictions, consider your goals carefully:

  • Are you optimizing for reach, engagement, monetization or control?
  • Each approach carries its own risks and rewards.



Disable Print and Copy-Paste

I came across an article through a quick Google search: Disable Print & Save - Copy paste: Blogger Guide.

  • While the intention behind the original script is valid, an AI-assisted review revealed that its JavaScript syntax is outdated and can be easily overridden or bypassed by other scripts or browser settings.

A more refined and updated version is shown below. This example disables right-click, prevents text copying (Ctrl + C) and blocks printing (Ctrl + P):

<style>
/* Prevent user selection */
body {
-webkit-user-select: none;
-moz-user-select: none;
-ms-user-select: none;
user-select: none;
}

/* Disable printing */
@media print {
body {
visibility: hidden !important;
}
body::before {
content: "Printing is disabled for this page.";
visibility: visible !important;
display: block;
text-align: center;
font-size: 24px;
padding-top: 100px;
}
}
</style>

<script type="text/javascript">
// Disable right-click context menu
document.addEventListener('contextmenu', function (e) {
e.preventDefault();
});

// Disable copy, cut, paste, drag and text selection
['copy', 'cut', 'paste', 'dragstart', 'selectstart'].forEach(function (evt) {
document.addEventListener(evt, function (e) {
e.preventDefault();
});
});

// Disable common keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Ctrl+P, Ctrl+U, F12)
document.addEventListener('keydown', function (e) {
var key = e.key.toLowerCase();
if ((e.ctrlKey &amp;&amp; ['p', 'u', 's', 'a', 'c'].includes(key)) || e.key === 'F12' || e.keyCode === 123) {
e.preventDefault();
return false;
}
});
</script>

How to apply in Blogger:

  • Go to Blogger dashboard
  • Click on "Theme" from the left sidebar.
  • Click "Customize" > "Edit HTML"
  • Search for </head> in the code editor
  • Past the full CSS and JavasScript code just before </head>.
  • Click Save.
Customize Theme in Blogger

NOTE: Instead of completely disabling printing, consider adding a semi-transparent watermark (e.g., your site name or logo) on printed pages. This preserves user utility while reinforcing attribution.



Limit Blog Feed Exposure on External Sites

To limit how much of your Blogger content appears in RSS or other feeds:

  • Go to Blogger dashboard
  • Click "Settings" from the left-hand menu.
  • Scroll to the "Site Feed" section.
  • Choose your preferred option under "Allow Blog Feed":
    • Full - Share entire posts.
    • Until Jump Break - Share content until the "Read More" break.
    • Short - Share a short summary.
    • Custom - Fine-tune visibility.
    • None - Disable feeds entirely.
  • Click Save.



Restrict Sharing Options on Google Drive Files

To prevent others from copying, printing or downloading your Google Drive files:

  • Open Google Drive.
  • Select the file(s) you want to protect.
  • Right-click and choose "Share".
  • At the top right, click the "Settings" (gear) icon.
Restrict Sharing Options on Google Drive Files
  • Uncheck "Commenters and viewers" from "people who can download, copy and print".
  • Click "Done".



Summary

Personally, I decided not to implement these restrictions for the following reasons:

  • This blog was created to share knowledge.
    • My primary goal is to make information freely available to others.
  • Medical information is constantly evolving.
    • Content may become oudated over time, and I am continually working to keep it up to date.
    • Open access encourages timely discussion and feedback, which helps improve the accuracy and relevance of each post.
  • There is no financial conflict of interest
    • Everything on this blog is provided completely free of charge, supported only by a small amount of AdSense income.



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