Blizzard adding almost invisible watermarks on screenshots

[alturic]

My God, I do not think this is a "secret Blizzard ploy."

Read the original thread if you actually care. A talented individual has actually reverse-engineered the screenshot routine in the WoW client, isolated the code which generates the watermark, and modified the client in-memory to output only the watermark that is generated rather than the actual screenshot.

It is really there, and it really happens. This does not in any way suggest that Blizzard's intentions are malevolent.

For the last time, TGA and PNG images are lossless. Players use these and high-quality JPGs when they want flawless, pixel-perfect screenshots. To corrupt these high quality images with a watermark would be an awfully annoying thing to do. Lower quality JPGs are already quite lossy in their compression, so there is no harm in adding a little extra noise.

I never said YOU were one of the privacy whackos. What I said is why exactly would they add something like this, that anyone who truly does something malicious AND takes screenshots would already be using HQ settings...

---------- Post added 2012-09-11 at 12:18 PM ----------

They give you the memory addresses of the code - you can go look it up yourself. That's pretty solid evidence.

I never disputed that they weren't doing this "tracking" on JPG only, and quality settings of 1-9 only as a JPG.

[Conscious]

It's unlikely any hacker would waste their time with this UNLESS they were after a specific "e-celebrity" (like Kripp, TB, Athene, etc).

Without a password, you would still have to waste a shitton of your time on each and every account. You'd make more money trading in stacks of grocery store coupons.

All of that aside, it's still a pretty scary concept that screenshots contain as much information as they do.

I'm not comfortable with someone knowing my email, why the hell would I want my account name and ID out there? Even if the chances are low, a small chance of being hacked, is still a chance of being hacked all the same.

[videotape]

Um, can't you just take your screenshots using FRAPS instead? I already do this, image quality seems to be better as well.

By default the image quality in WoW is sub-par because it uses slightly lossy JPEG compression.

The image format can be changed using a client variable.

/console screenshotFormat png

will cause the client to output lossless PNG screenshots. These will match FRAPS screenshot quality exactly. They also won't contain this watermark, if you are irrationally terrified of it for whatever reason.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

I understand that. what I don't know is what it has to do with what I said, since what I meant was that people who make porn with WoW will have their privacy safe since they use WoW model viewer to do it, not in-game screenshots.

What it means is the model viewer is irrelevant. This isn't to catch people making videos. This is to catch people breaking the ToS.


Plus, everyone has to recognize that these are encrypted squares. A hacker would have to spend a ton of time to crack what each square means.

[frequency]

Who cares?
Nothing can be done with the info collected.
The watermark is apparently only on quality 1-9 jpgs.
This allows blizzard to catch alpha leaks and verify screenshots, so again I close with
Who cares?

[Qly]

OMG JPEG artifacts will give all my information to the terrorists!

tinfoil hats off people.... it even says in the instruccions to NOT USE THE HIGHEST QUALITY

[videotape]

OMG JPEG artifacts will give all my information to the terrorists!

tinfoil hats off people.... it even says in the instruccions to NOT USE THE HIGHEST QUALITY

Not JPEG artifacts. Reading is fun and fundamental.

[Deleted]

By default the image quality in WoW is sub-par because it uses slightly lossy JPEG compression.

The image format can be changed using a client variable.

will cause the client to output lossless PNG screenshots. These will match FRAPS screenshot quality exactly. They also won't contain this watermark, if you are irrationally terrified of it for whatever reason.

Just out of curiosity I used /console screenshotFormat png but the screenshot folder still contains .jpg formatted screenshots

My config.wtf file shows the correct option /SET screenshotFormat png

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Not JPEG artifacts. Reading is fun and fundamental.

Encrypted, barely visible squares.

[videotape]

Just out of curiosity I used /console screenshotFormat png but the screenshot folder still contains .jpg formatted screenshots

My config.wtf file shows the correct option /SET screenshotFormat png

Sorry, apparently PNG is only available in the Mac client. You can use TGA for the same quality.

[florestan]

It's unlikely any hacker would waste their time with this UNLESS they were after a specific "e-celebrity" (like Kripp, TB, Athene, etc).

Without a password, you would still have to waste a shitton of your time on each and every account. You'd make more money trading in stacks of grocery store coupons.

the accountID included in these screenshots is not the email address you use to log in.

[Simca]

the accountID included in these screenshots is not the email address you use to log in.

Yeah, Alram just mentioned that to me. The "accountname" included in the screenshots is the actual individual WoW accounts, which are just strings of numbers post-B.Net and still useless even if pre-B.Net because email address is king now anyway.

So basically, they have absolutely nothing useful for hacking purposes.

[checking facts]

What it means is the model viewer is irrelevant. This isn't to catch people making videos. This is to catch people breaking the ToS.


Plus, everyone has to recognize that these are encrypted squares. A hacker would have to spend a ton of time to crack what each square means.

blizzard will use it to catch people breaking the ToS. smart hackers will try to decrypt it for evil purposes.

still, porn makers are safe

/highfive

[Cyzen]

"Look! More hidden footprints."

LOL, this made me laugh so hard.

OT: I don't understand how this would catch people breaking the ToS?

[Thelxi]

Wow that is some seriously interesting stuff!

[checking facts]

LOL, this made me laugh so hard.

OT: I don't understand how this would catch people breaking the ToS?

the screen shot tells blizzard your WoW account name, which gives them who you are. if the screen shot shows you breaking the ToS, they will know where to find you.

the screen shot also tells blizzard your server's IP. that means if it's taken from a private server, than they can find that private server and take measures against it.

[Thelxi]

My guess is that this was their sneaky and brilliant way to be able to immediately verify screen shots in a moment of need, and just put some info about the user in there for good measure.

Also obviously no one can compromise you with only the info that is in a screenshot, but still it is kinda creepy knowing that you posted your ID and IP every time you linked a screeny, and blizzard has made a big deal out of lesser info being leaked before.

[Cactrot]

All of that aside, it's still a pretty scary concept that screenshots contain as much information as they do.

I'm not comfortable with someone knowing my email, why the hell would I want my account name and ID out there? Even if the chances are low, a small chance of being hacked, is still a chance of being hacked all the same.

Your account name is not your e-mail address. Your account name is your account name if you played pre-battle net, or some random set of numbers if your account was created after the merge.

Yeah, Alram just mentioned that to me. The "accountname" included in the screenshots is the actual individual WoW accounts, which are just strings of numbers post-B.Net and still useless even if pre-B.Net because email address is king now anyway.

So basically, they have absolutely nothing useful for hacking purposes.

It's true, this is nothing useful for hacking purposes. It is worth noting that there is a privacy leak though. This could link several characters to one account, or link online identities if you have a pre-battle.net account. My screenshots could link some of my online identities, since my old username was something I used across several communities.

Not really a big deal, but worth being aware of for the privacy paranoid.

[sir-connor]

So I edited a screenshot I took earlier this year, just an unsharp mask filter + some contrast changes and here's what I got;

http://i.imgur.com/wvqCt.jpg

Convinced me.

[Jacob6875]

This was probably put in place so blizzard could catch people trying to leak alpha or beta screenshots before the NDA is lifted. It could also help in order to verify issues in tech support or to easily catch hackers.

Your account name doesn't actually mean anything anymore so it doesn't leave you vulnerable to anything really. Posting on the offical forums give just as much "revealing information"

If you are actually concerned just use a program like steam / xfire / fraps in order to take screenshots.