Clipboard is provided by the OS, but application chooses how to integrate with it.
When you select text and hit ctrl-c or click copy in the context menu, it's all done by the application. And it may choose to remove/disable this feature.
Applications (and websites) can definitely allow / deny copy/paste into specific text fields; I'm not sure if they could disable it for the entire browser as a whole but I can't imagine they'd ever do so even if it's possible.
Maybe not completely 100% locked down, but what about making it difficult to access for non-technical users? Also what about chrome mobile browsers? On mobile it is much easier to block copy and paste right?
At most they could maybe remove it for Chrome users. But unless Google is going to start editing 3rd party websites, I don't see how they could remove copy/paste entirely.
Why wouldn't they want more direct control over how content is shared online? They control essentially the only web browser and the internet is more centralized under a few corporations than it ever has been....
Well because it would be akin to taking away the ability to right click from an operating system. It's been basic functionality for many years and would enrage hundreds of millions of users and drive them to another browser over night.
Are you comfortable actually pointing to those as realistic alternatives for most everybody?
I see endless rows of corporate silos and a couple of niche little hobbiest communities off to the side, I do not see an environment where corporations can't do whatever the hell they want.
Don't get me wrong, I hope I am wrong, but I don't think I am.
Absolutely yes. I would recommend Firefox to any and every person complaining about chrome. And for times they have to use chrome, there are alternatives that do various amounts of degoogling. Almost certainly one would be able to reinstate copy/paste.
There are extensions to enable copy/paste when a website has disabled them. I've been using Don't Fuck With Paste (Github) for a long time and it mostly works but it hasn't been updated in years. There are other options in the Chrome store.
Absolutely started happening on mobile websites. And actually it's the only reason I use AI at the moment. If I see something I want to copy I hold down my O button till ai pops up then I draw a circle around the text. AI pops it into a search field for me. Haven't found a way to do this on PC yet but F12 exists and in still handy with that
Screen capture and OCR. It’s not a perfect solution, but vendors send me locked PDF docs often enough that I have to get datum from that I’ve done it a few times.
They would 1st enforce DRM and other security features before doing that. Stuff like Manifest V3 and others will continue to restrict use and addon access making them less user friendly than before.
30 Comments
tangible@piefed.social · 43 pts · 185d
Bazell@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 185d
To satisfy your overthinking urges.
Wolf314159@startrek.website · 1 pts · 185d
That's like picking fights with strangers to manage your anger.
Bazell@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 184d
That's exactly what some jerks do.
Wolf314159@startrek.website · 1 pts · 183d
I see the irony is lost on you.
Bazell@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 183d
Well, that's happens sometimes with everyone. Don't see a problem with it. 🙃
Sharkticon@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 184d
Buddy where do you think you are?
FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca · 0 pts · 184d
Same reason I sometimes imagine the stupidest possible comments on my comments and how I would react
slazer2au@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 185d
Don't think it can. The copy paste function is a function of the operating system not the application.
deadcream@sopuli.xyz · 17 pts · 185d
Clipboard is provided by the OS, but application chooses how to integrate with it.
When you select text and hit ctrl-c or click copy in the context menu, it's all done by the application. And it may choose to remove/disable this feature.
KoboldCoterie@pawb.social · 12 pts · 185d
Applications (and websites) can definitely allow / deny copy/paste into specific text fields; I'm not sure if they could disable it for the entire browser as a whole but I can't imagine they'd ever do so even if it's possible.
supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 185d
Maybe not completely 100% locked down, but what about making it difficult to access for non-technical users? Also what about chrome mobile browsers? On mobile it is much easier to block copy and paste right?
sanguinepar@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 185d
At most they could maybe remove it for Chrome users. But unless Google is going to start editing 3rd party websites, I don't see how they could remove copy/paste entirely.
More to the point, why would they?
supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 185d
Why wouldn't they want more direct control over how content is shared online? They control essentially the only web browser and the internet is more centralized under a few corporations than it ever has been....
TrickDacy@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 185d
Well because it would be akin to taking away the ability to right click from an operating system. It's been basic functionality for many years and would enrage hundreds of millions of users and drive them to another browser over night.
supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz · -2 pts · 185d
What other browser?
TrickDacy@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 185d
Firefox, one of its forks, or one of the up and coming ones. Or webkit based ones. Or if on apple, safari.
supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz · -4 pts · 185d
Are you comfortable actually pointing to those as realistic alternatives for most everybody?
I see endless rows of corporate silos and a couple of niche little hobbiest communities off to the side, I do not see an environment where corporations can't do whatever the hell they want.
Don't get me wrong, I hope I am wrong, but I don't think I am.
TrickDacy@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 185d
Absolutely yes. I would recommend Firefox to any and every person complaining about chrome. And for times they have to use chrome, there are alternatives that do various amounts of degoogling. Almost certainly one would be able to reinstate copy/paste.
Zeoic@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 185d
Firefox is a perfectly good alternative. Works just as well as chrome.
spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 185d
There are extensions to enable copy/paste when a website has disabled them. I've been using Don't Fuck With Paste (Github) for a long time and it mostly works but it hasn't been updated in years. There are other options in the Chrome store.
Reddit_was_fun@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 185d
Absolutely started happening on mobile websites. And actually it's the only reason I use AI at the moment. If I see something I want to copy I hold down my O button till ai pops up then I draw a circle around the text. AI pops it into a search field for me. Haven't found a way to do this on PC yet but F12 exists and in still handy with that
Janx@piefed.social · 8 pts · 185d
That's just Optical Character Recognition, you don't need AI for it. Search 'OCR' plus your operating system...
AcesFullOfKings@feddit.uk · 5 pts · 185d
Dyf_Tfh@piefed.zip · 3 pts · 184d
All modern OCR engine use neural networks. Specialised OCR will not hallucinate like generalist multimodal LLM, but they absolutely are AI.
LodeMike@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 185d
Never. So many things would break.
TehWorld@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 183d
Screen capture and OCR. It’s not a perfect solution, but vendors send me locked PDF docs often enough that I have to get datum from that I’ve done it a few times.
ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 183d
That will come after they suddenly announce they're making Chromium closed source only, with the help of genAI.
gwl@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 183d
Never? Don't be stupid
supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 183d
Don't be naive
gwl@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 183d
For a start, the W3C would never agree to it
For a second, the internet is international, they could probably get away with it in the USA, but EU would shut them down QUICK
limerod@reddthat.com · 1 pts · 185d
They would 1st enforce DRM and other security features before doing that. Stuff like Manifest V3 and others will continue to restrict use and addon access making them less user friendly than before.