Re: PDF is blocked for printing, etc. OK for acroread (it behaves as expected), but KPDF allows me to print it, even if it is protected! Why?

[Merciadri Luca <Luca.Merciadri@student.ulg.ac.be>]

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Camaleón <noelamac@gmail.com> writes:

> On Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:47:02 +0200, Merciadri Luca wrote:
>
>> Vincent Danjean wrote:
>
> (...)
>
>>> So, what would be the use case to allow a someone to read the
>>> information but not print it ? In any case, printing it would be more
>>> or less convenient but it will always be possible if it is displayed on
>>> screen (even with Acrobat Reader)
>>>   
>> My reason is quite complicated, and is really justified. Briefly, one
>> person that I know needs to have some report I wrote, but this person
>> should not be able neither to print it nor to extract content from it,
>> for a simple reason: this person could transmit a part (or the whole)
>> [of the] document to a third party, and this third party should not
>> receive the report from the person who could send it to him (the third
>> party), but the third party wants the other fellow (actually not a
>> fellow to me) to receive the report.
>
> IANAL, but you can always take the "legal" path and require that the 
> person you are giving the documents first signs a contract to prevent 
> sharing, extracting or printing data. I know this can sound a bit strict 
> measure but is a very usual method in many companies to prevent data 
> leakage, depending upon the importance of the material they share with 
> another "partners".
Yes. But what happens if they do not sign? Do you then have any proof that
you did not ask/blackmail them to prevent them from signing? More
generally, how can you prove that if they did not sign, it is because
of their personal opinion? That is some part of the problem. Note that
next year, I will make people sign. I think that in a > 18 yr. world
with engineering students, students should be more responsible about
their duty/ies.

>> I know that it is _always_ possible (with some determination) to extract
>> content, by some way, of a PDF (even if screenshots were to never work,
>> you can still use a camera). Principally, the most important aspects of
>> such security features are that they are tricky (for some users only, I
>> agree) to unlock, and that they are consequently repulsive at prima
>> facie.
>
> You can enforce a PDF to use DRM *and* activation measures. I have found 
> some e-books that I was not able to open with Linux boxes and forced the 
> user reading it on screen just under windows machines with Acrobat Reader 
>>6.
>
> More info here:
> http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/329/329059.html
>
> What you have to ask your boss if this is worth for it as you are 
> imposing many limitations to the person you are "lending" the document 
> and also, you need a server (and a license of "Adobe Content Server") to 
> host the files and manage the DRM licences and restrictions :-/
Thanks. I read it, but this is quite commercial, isn't it?

- -- 
Merciadri Luca
See http://www.student.montefiore.ulg.ac.be/~merciadri/
- -- 

If you want a thing done right, do it yourself.
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