Zhihu recently introduced a blind watermark that records the ID of screenshots taken by anyone logged in to Zhihu. If the screenshot is leaked, the source can be traced.
This is not a new phenomenon. Five years ago, Alibaba's internal network, Aliwei, also set up such a front-end watermark, which can track people who take screenshots and forward them.
Going back a hundred years, even without the internet, printers had watermarks like this. When printing, extra dots were left behind to track whether you printed flyers or something else that the authorities did not like.
Going back a thousand years, Mencius said, "Confucius established the Spring and Autumn Annals, and corrupt officials and traitors feared." Because Confucius wanted to record the affairs of the princes so that they could be traced in the future, many people were terrified.
Going back ten thousand years, "Cang Jie created writing, and grains fell from the sky like rain, and ghosts cried at night." It is said that Cang Jie created writing based on the footprints of birds and beasts and the shapes of the stars so that people could record it permanently. At this time, grains fell from the sky like rain, and ghosts cried in fear. This is because humans could record and disseminate information, and the ghosts and gods could no longer easily bully ordinary people.
Why? Why?
If you look from ancient times to the present day, from Cang Jie creating writing to Zhihu putting a blind watermark, what has happened? The objects being recorded have shifted from ghosts and gods to ordinary people, and this is a shift in perspective.
Who is crying at night, afraid at night, wailing at night, and unable to sleep at night now?
Regarding encryption, privacy protection, and permanent record-keeping, what is the correct and reasonable approach?
You already know the answer:
Demand transparency from large organizations and protect individual privacy rights.