Feature Request: Anonymous eBooks

My main work use of HTMLExe is creating eBooks for customers: they put the contents, I assemble them with nice graphics and create the eBook, hand it over to the customer and my job is done.

In such cases, I often don't need nor want my name to be associated with the created eBook, which means that in some cases I'd rather not even have my customer ID embedded in the eBook at all. When dealing with such jobs, I currently have to turn them down because there's no such option in HTMLExe.

Would it possible to add a feature that allows to create an eBook that doesn't carry over the user ID? i.e. that the generated eBook using this modality would be identical with any other compiled eBook using the same sources, project file and HTMLExe version? basically, this feature should enable plausible deniability regarding who compiled the eBook.

While I appreciate all the protection features, and the fact that every eBook has its own unique ID and carries the unique ID of its creator, there are cases when such features are not just undesirable but altogether problematic — and, as mentioned, in my case it means paying customers whose jobs I have to turn down. But I'm assuming that such feature would be appreciated also by whoever wishes to create an anonymous eBook for whatever reason. So, based on my experience of having worked with executable compiled eBooks for many years during the late 90s early 2Ks, I think that this feature would add value to HTMLExe as a product, since it will be appealing to a pool of customers who might not be interested in protected eBook with registration, but rather in creating anynimously eBooks for free distribution.

Surely, enabling this feature will probably come at the cost of eBook registration and other protection features, but these are unneeded in such situations anyway, and wouldn't be used.

Is this a feature which could be implemented into HTMLExe? Is it particularly hard to implement? and, if feasible, when could I expect to see it added?

Thanks.

HTML Executable does not insert some visual unique ID of you in the ebooks. What are you referring to? The copyright info in the about box?

I know that enabling the "About" box is optional, but from my past experience with various executable eBook compilers I know that the way the unique ID (UUID) of an eBook is created is usually tied to the author ID (i.e. the customer ID), which ends up in the eBook binary file. With older compilers, I was able to overwrite the auto-generated ID using an hex-editor, since the eBooks didn't use hash functions to check that the ebook binary wasn't tampered with, but HTMLExe does.

Is the generated eBook ID tied in any way to HTMLExe user ID? or his/her license code?
Do the compiled eBooks contain any reference that could be tracked back to the author? or would two eBooks compiled by two different registered users result in the same identical binary executable? (i.e. give they are using identical versions of HTMLExe)

HTML Executable does not use a unique ID (UUID) of an eBook, but a GUID that you can customize yourself (Publication GUID). However, it is not visible inside the EXE file itself. And yes, HTMLEXE has some anti-piracy checks. Moreover, each time you build an EXE file, it will have different binary content.

So the variables like author, etc., which can be expanded in the various templates or via scripting are not references to data which is actually stored in the finale executable?

Not sure about your question, but references entered in HTML Executable like author are of course stored in the final executable. But it's you that define the author and other information in HTML Executable. Then, it stores that data into your ebook.
You can even produce ebooks with the command line and directives if you want to automate ebook production. See

gdgsupport said:

Not sure about your question

Click to expand...

Well, the question as originally posed is basically this: can you confirm to me that if the author doesn't include any personal data, and does not enable protection/registration on an eBook, the final compiled eBook can not be traced back to the original author (e.g. via it's license or some other embedded metadata, be it from HTMLExe or via some Windows components, etc.) by analysing the executable file?

Basically, can an author be100% sure that he can confide on plausible deniability of being the creator of an eBook?

Since it's a closed source software, and with MS Windows becoming evermore aggressive about embedding private data in everything it touches, the only way I have to get confirmation in this sense is to ask you, the developer, since you have insight into innerworkings of HTMLExe and it third party components.

If that's the case, I personally think it's worth mentioning it explicitly in the documentation. After all, privacy is becoming a big deal nowadays, as we're witnessing more and more apps embedding metadata in every file we touch.

So the answer is yes, since the real registered user name or company is not embedded into the final EXE. You can define the author, copyright, etc. yourself.

Have been following this as I also thought there was author embedded information in every exe compiled. This is good to know:

gdgsupport said:

the answer is yes, since the real registered user name or company is not embedded into the final EXE

Click to expand...

I too have instances where I do not wish to have uncontrolled data in the final exe.

gdgsupport said:

So the answer is yes, since the real registered user name or company is not embedded into the final EXE. You can define the author, copyright, etc. yourself.

Click to expand...

That's great to know! Thanks for the detailed answer.

Honestly, I think this is something worth highlighting in the documentation and features list, since it's not so obvious. Many people might take for granted that due to the protection system and how many tools approach privacy nowadays this type of anonymity is not available.

My guess is that many HTMLExe might share my same need: even though the main use of the compiler is to create author signed publications, there might be many instances where one wishes his/her name not be included in particular publications (from the eBook created for a friend, to the unusual eBook whose contents one might rather not be associated with).

As mentioned, with previous exeBook compilers (from the 90's era: Active E-Book, and others) anonymity required hex-editing the final compiled binary file to remove the user ID and some other user-specific data that would leak into the publication.

Knowing that I count on plausible deniabilty, I can now enjoy working on some publications which before I wad turning down due to uncertainty.