Transforming the text to be "unreadable"

Question

Transforming the text to be "unreadable"

I find myself in a rather odd predicament where I must display my name and contact details on a webpage. Although I am comfortable with sharing this information, I would prefer that it remain unreadable to robots or other unauthorized sources.

Essentially, what I am looking for is a text block that resembles normal text but functions as an image. However, due to background limitations, I am unable to use an actual image.

Is there a solution to this dilemma of mine? One idea I had was to type everything backwards and employ a control character that reverses the text direction. Alternatively, I could insert invisible characters between the real ones to maintain readability by humans while preventing site crawlers from deciphering the content.

Edit: Just to clarify, I don't mind if a sophisticated bot manages to access my information. My goal is to create enough obstacles so that casual site crawlers won't easily obtain my details.

Edit 2: Thank you for the excellent and intriguing responses. I may need to utilize some of these ideas in other scenarios as well!

javascript html css web

Answer 1

Answer №1

[email protected]:

<span style="unicode-bidi:bidi-override; direction: rtl;">
moc.elpmaxe@xyz
</span>

Reference: https://example.com/questions/123456789/does-email-address-obfuscation-really-work

However, caution is advised. When you reverse a string, like "Summer Nights" becoming "sthgiN remmuS". It should display correctly as

sthgiN remmuS

, and not like

sthgıN remmuS

(noting the placement of characters). Simply using

new string("test".ToCharArray().Reverse())

can lead to mistakes in your text, which is inaccurately done.

Here's the correct way to invert a string:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Globalization;
using System.Linq;

public static class Example
{
    private static IEnumerable<string> GraphemeClusters(this string str)      
    {
        var iterator = StringInfo.GetTextElementEnumerator(str);
        while(iterator.MoveNext()) {
            yield return (string)iterator.Current;
        }
    }
    private static string ReverseGraphemeClusters(this string str) {
        return string.Join("", str.GraphemeClusters().Reverse().ToArray());
    }

    public static void Main()
    {
        var word = "Summer Nights";
        var reversedWord = word.ReverseGraphemeClusters();
        Console.WriteLine(reversedWord);
    }
}

Answer 2

[email protected]:

<span style="unicode-bidi:bidi-override; direction: rtl;">
moc.elpmaxe@xyz
</span>

Reference: https://example.com/questions/123456789/does-email-address-obfuscation-really-work

However, caution is advised. When you reverse a string, like "Summer Nights" becoming "sthgiN remmuS". It should display correctly as

sthgiN remmuS

, and not like

sthgıN remmuS

(noting the placement of characters). Simply using

new string("test".ToCharArray().Reverse())

can lead to mistakes in your text, which is inaccurately done.

Here's the correct way to invert a string:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Globalization;
using System.Linq;

public static class Example
{
    private static IEnumerable<string> GraphemeClusters(this string str)      
    {
        var iterator = StringInfo.GetTextElementEnumerator(str);
        while(iterator.MoveNext()) {
            yield return (string)iterator.Current;
        }
    }
    private static string ReverseGraphemeClusters(this string str) {
        return string.Join("", str.GraphemeClusters().Reverse().ToArray());
    }

    public static void Main()
    {
        var word = "Summer Nights";
        var reversedWord = word.ReverseGraphemeClusters();
        Console.WriteLine(reversedWord);
    }
}

Answer 3

Answer №2

Here's a potential solution:

.email-hidden::before {
    content: "username"
}
.email-hidden::after {
    content: "example.com"
}

<span class="email-hidden">@</span>

The pseudo classes :before and :after are not rendered in the DOM, making them invisible to web crawlers. Splitting the email address into two parts helps prevent any potential scraping through regex patterns in the CSS file.

Answer 4

Here's a potential solution:

.email-hidden::before {
    content: "username"
}
.email-hidden::after {
    content: "example.com"
}

<span class="email-hidden">@</span>

The pseudo classes :before and :after are not rendered in the DOM, making them invisible to web crawlers. Splitting the email address into two parts helps prevent any potential scraping through regex patterns in the CSS file.

Answer 5

Answer №3

If you don't mind having users engage with the website to view your contact information, one option is to utilize recaptcha's mailhide feature. The user will need to click on a "show address" button/link, and then complete a captcha test before gaining access.

Answer 6

If you don't mind having users engage with the website to view your contact information, one option is to utilize recaptcha's mailhide feature. The user will need to click on a "show address" button/link, and then complete a captcha test before gaining access.

Answer 7

Answer №4

Let me be clear: Once text is on the web, bots can easily read it. There's no foolproof way to prevent this. Even if you try to hide it using robots.txt or Javascript, determined bots will find a way to access it. Your request for complete privacy is simply not feasible.

If you're hesitant to use an image as an alternative, consider adding transparency to a PNG file so that your background remains visible. However, keep in mind that spam bots have the capability to extract text from images using OCR technology. If avoiding spammers is your goal, refraining from sharing personal details online may be your best bet.

To make your text more difficult for bots to decipher, consider creating an SVG image with manually constructed text characters that do not correspond to any traditional font. While this method may pose a challenge for OCR programs used by spammers, it may be more complex than necessary. Additionally, an SVG image offers scalability and transparent backgrounds for added visual appeal.

Answer 8

Let me be clear: Once text is on the web, bots can easily read it. There's no foolproof way to prevent this. Even if you try to hide it using robots.txt or Javascript, determined bots will find a way to access it. Your request for complete privacy is simply not feasible.

If you're hesitant to use an image as an alternative, consider adding transparency to a PNG file so that your background remains visible. However, keep in mind that spam bots have the capability to extract text from images using OCR technology. If avoiding spammers is your goal, refraining from sharing personal details online may be your best bet.

To make your text more difficult for bots to decipher, consider creating an SVG image with manually constructed text characters that do not correspond to any traditional font. While this method may pose a challenge for OCR programs used by spammers, it may be more complex than necessary. Additionally, an SVG image offers scalability and transparent backgrounds for added visual appeal.

Answer 9

Answer №5

If you're concerned about spambots finding your contact information online, I found a useful website that offers tips on preventing spam attacks. Although using javascript is one recommended method, it's important to note that there is still a risk of susceptibility.

Keep in mind that no matter which method you choose to implement, any information you publish online can be harvested by spammers.

Answer 10

If you're concerned about spambots finding your contact information online, I found a useful website that offers tips on preventing spam attacks. Although using javascript is one recommended method, it's important to note that there is still a risk of susceptibility.

Keep in mind that no matter which method you choose to implement, any information you publish online can be harvested by spammers.

Transforming the text to be "unreadable"

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

Answer №5

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