How is Netflix able to prevent screenshots on Chrome?

Question

The other day I tried to screenshot a funny frame in a Netflix video to show to a friend and the image came out black. I tried both the `prtsc key` and the `Snipping Tool`. This got me wondering is JavaScript able to interfere with the built-in OS printscreen function ?I was using Chrome on a Windows 10 machine, and in the end, strangely enough, I was able to take the screenshot on the Netflix Android app.

colesantiago · Accepted Answer

The workaround of pointing/recording content using a mobile camera is guaranteed to always work regardless of any flimsy DRM scheme these vendors implement [0].[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_hole

amir-h · Answer

That's probably DRM protected content, it's not Javascript hack but a mecahnism that's built in deeper. A high level overview of how it works on Android is here(the secure texture part):
https://source.android.com/devices/graphics/arch-st#st_vid_p...
I'm not sure what the implementation is on Chrome/Desktop; probably something similar.

schappim · Answer

Chrome has the Widevine DRM built into it. Since 2017 users cannot disable it.