How to Copy and Select Text from Snopes.com

I really like Snopes. I really do. However, they use a stupid javascript command to prevent people from selecting and copying the text on their web pages. Here is how to defeat their defenses.

Now, I really despise people that steal tech-recipes material by copying and pasting into their websites. This confuses google and steals traffic away from us. However, to break a basic part of the web to stop this is inexcusable. Shame on Snopes. Shame.

Snopes uses a little bit of javascript to prevent people from selecting text on their website. If you can not select it, you cannot copy it. Snopes does this so people will have to send the URL to the page instead of just copying and pasting the text. Breaking part of the web browsing experience just to make a buck is poor form.

To override the evil of snopes, just past the following into the address bar of your browser and press ENTER:

javascript:void(document.onselectstart=null)

After doing this, you can select text and copy until your heart is content.

Wouldn’t it be funny if somebody started an email about the evilness of snopes breaking the rules of friendly web browsing? Then snopes would have to respond to their own “urban legend.” I say it is TRUE! :)