Photolock vs Tilkie
Photolock combines browser-side blocking (right-click, copy, drag, developer tools, screenshots), an image-shield overlay, spy-extension detection, and an invisible watermark intended to identify who screenshots a product image.
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What Photolock says it does
According to its Shopify App Store listing (June 2026), Photolock offers:
- Block right-click, drag-and-drop, screenshots, copy-paste, and file saving
- Invisible watermarks identify who screenshots your product images
- Detect and block spy extensions
- Image shields replace saved images with blank transparent files
How each method works, and where it stops
Each item below is a protection method Photolock uses, followed by the documented behaviour of that method. These limits are general properties of how web browsers and operating systems work, not faults specific to this app.
Invisible watermark
Embeds an identifying mark inside the pixels of the image rather than on top of it, so the photo looks unchanged.
Resilience to editing, the ability to detect a copy elsewhere, and whether a detection produces usable proof all depend on the engine used and on what the app lets you do with a detected mark.
Right-click (context menu) blocking
Runs a script that cancels the browser's right-click menu so the Save image as option does not appear.
In practice, it can be bypassed:
- The image has already been downloaded to the visitor's device in order to display it, so it can be saved without the menu.
- In Firefox, holding Shift while right-clicking bypasses a site's attempt to block the context menu.
- Turning off JavaScript, or opening the page in reader mode, removes the block entirely.
- The image file can be opened directly from the page source or the browser's developer tools.
Copy, paste, and text-selection blocking
Disables selecting, copying, and pasting text on the page with a script.
In practice, it can be bypassed:
- Viewing the page source (Ctrl+U) or the developer tools shows the full text, which can be copied directly.
- Turning off JavaScript restores normal selection and copying.
- Reader mode and Save page as extract the text regardless.
- Search engines and translation tools read the raw HTML, so the text is never actually hidden.
Image drag-and-drop blocking
Stops an image being dragged off the page onto the desktop.
In practice, it can be bypassed:
- It does not stop Save image as, screenshots, or opening the image file by its URL.
- Turning off JavaScript removes the restriction.
Developer-tools and inspect-element blocking
Tries to detect or prevent opening the browser developer tools and viewing the page source.
In practice, it can be bypassed:
- Developer tools can be opened from the browser menu, before the page loads, or with shortcuts the script does not catch.
- Adding view-source: before the URL, or choosing View source from the browser menu, is unaffected.
- The browser developer tools list every image and file the page has loaded under the Network and Sources panels.
- Turning off JavaScript disables the blocker itself.
Keyboard-shortcut blocking
Intercepts key combinations such as Ctrl+S, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+U, and Print Screen inside the page.
In practice, it can be bypassed:
- A page script can only react to keys pressed inside the browser tab; it cannot disable operating-system shortcuts such as the screenshot key.
- The browser and operating-system menus offer the same Save, Print, and Copy actions without a shortcut.
- Turning off JavaScript removes the interception.
Screenshot blocking
Claims to stop screen captures, usually by watching for the Print Screen key or blanking content.
In practice, it can be bypassed:
- A web page cannot disable the operating-system screenshot tools, such as the Windows Snipping Tool (Win+Shift+S) or macOS Shift+Cmd+4.
- The image is already loaded in order to be displayed, so it can be saved directly from the browser's page info or developer tools without a screenshot at all.
- Built-in capture tools and the browser's own screenshot feature do not use the Print Screen key a script watches for.
Transparent overlay or image shield
Places an invisible layer over the image, or serves a blank file to a casual save, so a quick download grabs nothing useful.
In practice, it can be bypassed:
- The real image still loads on the page and appears in the developer tools and network panel, where it can be saved.
- A screenshot captures what is on the screen, overlay or not.
- The underlying image file can be opened directly by its URL.
Spy-extension blocking
Tries to detect and block competitor-research browser extensions, such as sales-tracking tools.
In practice, it can be bypassed:
- It targets specific known extensions and does not stop manual saving, screenshots, or copying by an ordinary visitor.
- It is aimed at protecting sales and product data from research tools, which is a different goal from protecting image ownership.
Photolock vs Tilkie, at a glance
| Capability | Photolock | Tilkie |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves your product photo visually unchanged | ✓ | ✓ |
| No interference with normal shopping | ✕ | ✓ |
| Protection stays with the image after it is saved or screenshotted | ✓ | ✓ |
| Resists removal by cropping, editing, or AI tools | Not stated | ✓ |
| Lets you find a stolen copy anywhere on the web | ✕ | ✓ |
| Generates proof of ownership for a DMCA or marketplace takedown | ✕ | ✓ |
Capabilities are derived from each app's stated features. "Not applicable" means the method places no mark on the image itself.
The difference that matters: proof
Photolock works to make copying less convenient while a visitor is on your store. None of those methods change what happens after an image is saved, screenshotted, or re-uploaded somewhere else. At that point the copy carries no information that ties it back to you, so there is nothing to present to a host or marketplace that processes a takedown.
Photolock is the one app in this set that also embeds an invisible watermark. Its listing frames that watermark as a way to identify who screenshots an image on your own store. It does not describe detecting a copy elsewhere on the web by URL or upload, or generating an ownership certificate for a DMCA or marketplace takedown, which are the points Tilkie is built around.
Tilkie takes the other side of that problem. It embeds an invisible watermark in the pixels of your image using TrustMark, the neural watermarking engine backed by Adobe. The mark stays readable after cropping, resizing, re-encoding, and screenshots, you can detect a copy anywhere on the web by URL or upload, and a confirmed detection produces a Chain of Proof certificate built for DMCA and marketplace complaints. The image your customers see is unchanged.
Method and disclaimer
This comparison describes Photolock using its own public Shopify App Store listing as of June 2026. Features and pricing may have changed since. The limitations noted are general properties of each protection method rather than defects of this specific app. App names and trademarks belong to their respective owners and are used here for identification only. Tilkie is published by INFOWISE LIMITED. Nothing here is legal advice.