User:Pedro Sá Couto/TW/About
WHY?
In this route, I introduce users to
(1) What is Tactical Watermarks,
(2) The motivations of the project,
(3) Each Step of the process,
(4) The thesis written as a theoretical support to the platform,
(5) The tor version where Tactical Watermarks also exists.
PREVIEW
Printscreen from https://hub.xpub.nl/watermark/about/
Python View
@app.route("/about")
def about():
return render_template("public/about.html")
The Text
What is Tactical Watermarks?
Tactical Watermarks, is an online republishing platform. I actively make use of digital watermarks as a means to explore topics such as anonymity, paywalls, archives, and provenance. While the primary intention of analogue watermarks was to leave traces of authenticity, marks of quality or even aesthetic enhancements, digital watermarks are being used as a way to create accountability for users. Through this platform, I describe and document ways of living within and resist a culture of surveillance in the realm of publishing.
I am motivated by all the invisible individuals behind extra-legal publishing platforms, from curators, the ones who host, upload and even download material. Through the act of watermarking, I embed layers of information often dissolved within the processes of sharing texts. I experiment on how the process of adding stains can be twisted and revived. Stains are what I call user patches or marks that are difficult to remove and that do not play an active role in archives.
In this platform, users can upload and request different titles. While talking with members from the Library Genesis forum, I understood the need to create a tool that allows people to share watermarked pdfs in a safe way. My platform is NOT a library, and it is also NOT an archive. I don't keep the files or intend to archive them. What I open is a space to de-watermark files, and append new anonymous watermarks with the technical and personal regards around sharing specific texts. In the end, these stories will circulate alongside the main narrative. With python, I will automate a republishing stream that enables me to automatically spread these unique files to Library Genesis.
The Project
Strategies such as watermarking are used by companies to discourage the distribution of proprietary material, making users more liable and accountable for their action. Therefore, customers are not able to share files they have paid for. With Tactical Watermarks I explore established reactive measures that help users evade surveillance in publishing. At the same time, I question how we can tackle this problem through the reappropriation of digital watermarks.
Tactical Watermarks is a free web service where users can upload watermarked PDFs and ePUBs. I de-watermark the files and republished them to Lib Gen. I am removing in-text visible watermarks, but also editing watermarks present in the files’ metadata.
With my creative response, I intended to create one more tactic to bypass surveillance in the publishing realm. Though, it does not try to be the foolproof answer to opening access to published material. It is reassuring to feel that a wide variety of infrastructures, from shadow libraries to online digital archives already exist as temporary solutions to the main problematic. It is also comforting that users display daily acts of voluntary resistance amongst them, from researchers creating informal groups to share copyrighted material to users mirroring collections in attempts to extend their life span.My project starts focused on acknowledging the importance of informal communities of resistance and on the individuals that make this possible. Tactical Watermarks reflects on the social, political and cultural aspects behind the use of restrictive measuresin publishing. It is not a finished project, and it doesn’t intend to be, it embraces that the possibilities of tactical watermarks will continue to reveal themselves through the extensive use of the tool.
Researchers need to react against the organisations creating monopolies and closing access to published material. We need to build new online spaces where people can connect. Users need access to online forums where counter-strategies are widely available. We need to organise workshops and build communities to bypass the control of corporations only focused on the monetary outcome from research. It is important to continue sharing texts and opening access to our resources collectively. We need to mirror collections and produce new and unpredictable reactive actions against closed publishing streams. When it comes to opening access to paywalled material, a lot is yet to be done. Tactical Watermarks isa way to stimulate new reactive measures, embracing a positive discourse when it comes to subvert digital surveillance.
Each Step
De-watermark and Republish
In this route you can upload a title that will be republished to Library Genesis. We take care of the whole process of republishing. Books should not have watermarks. They will not be removed. We will also create a uploaders signature. Republish a new title
In this route you can upload a watermarked title that will be republished to Library Genesis. I will de-watermark your text and take care of the whole process of republishing. All watermarks will be removed. We will also create a uploaders signature. What is the uploaders signature
The uploaders signature is an anonymous watermarks with the technical and personal regards around sharing specific texts. In the end, these stories will circulate alongside the main narrative.
Tactical Watermarks has the primary objective of creating a positive discourse around the act of watermarking. This discourse will enable the creation of a top layer of information, able to embed traces of provenance in different texts. By provenance, I intend to express all the trails not used to surveil users but the ones able to trace historical importance to files and that facilitate precise documentation within an archive or library.
The uploaders signature challenges centralised distribution channels and wonderes on how the process of adding stains can be twisted and revived. Stains are what I will call user patches or marks that are difficult to remove and that do not play an active role in archives. While exploring the process of adding imprints, different uses arose: as a way to obscure previous ones, of commenting on the situation and encouraging behaviours, to create relations and communities, augmenting the sense of solidarity in archives, for digital enhancements, marks of quality, etc.
Tactical Watermarks mayform a discourse around topics such as anonymity, borders, archives, and provenance.While rethinking watermarks, I explore their hidden layers and aspects of surprise, visibility or invisibility, on different forms of communication. It is essential to acknowledgethat watermarks have the power to infiltrate, perform different roles and create parallel streams of information within various texts. When it comes to publishing, Tactical Watermarks create a critical discourse around the right to access knowledge and represent the ones that fight for it! Batch upload
If you want to batch upload, please contact me directly!
Request a book
In Tactical Watermarks I have created a space where users can request new titles. This option increases the sociability within the web platform and also augments the sense of community and solidarity that exists in this online space.
Requesting a new title is also an approach to populate Library Genesis with files that might be missing to other users of this shadow-library as well.
Tactical Watermarks Guidelines
Read the terms here!
The thesis
READ THE FULL THESIS ON TACTICAL WATERMARKS HERE!
Why releasing an onion version?
The access through Tor protocol to Tactical Watermarks allows users to access the web aplication through a .onion top-level domain. The onion address establishes a higher level of protection to users of the platform. Releasing this version is also a generous act regarding all the intervinients that want to get involved with a higher standard of anonymity.
Colophon
Author
Mr. Beauregard
This work has been produced in the context of the graduation research of Mr. Beauregard from the Experimental Publishing (XPUB) Master course at the Piet Zwart Institute,Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.
XPUB is a two year Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design that focuses on the intents,means and consequences of making things public and creating publicsin the age of post-digital networks.https://xpub.nl.
This publication is based on the graduation thesis Tactical Watermarks,written under the supervision of Marloes de Valk. License
Copyleft: This is a free work.
You can copy, distribute, and modify it underthe terms of the Free Art License http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en/