Here's a message for web designers: If you're turning off clipboard functions in your browser, you're actually making things worse, not better.

I have several websites where I make payments, and for some reason, they've disabled copy and paste. This means I can't paste in the exact payment amount that I copied from my local database, which I use to calculate what I owe. Instead, I have to manually type it in, introducing the potential for errors.

Even worse, some sites disable the ability to paste in your credit card or bank account number. The logic behind this is usually "security," but in reality, all they're doing is forcing users to manually type long strings of numbers, increasing the chance of mistakes. Someone copying and pasting a known good source is far less likely to screw up than someone fat-fingering a number on their keyboard.

I keep all of my bank and credit card numbers in a database that I built. Whenever I need to make a payment or set up a new account, I can simply copy and paste my account number. I know this number is correct because it's stored securely in my own system. Instead of making me manually type in a string of sixteen digits, where a single typo could cause a payment failure, I should be able to paste it without issue.

I see this same problem on my own website when people try to log in. I can always tell who is not using a password manager or who is trying to type in the initial signup password my server sends them. Instead of copying and pasting the password from their email, they try to type it manually, and of course, they make mistakes.

If you're a web designer and you're turning off copy and paste, ask yourself: are you actually improving security, or just making life harder for your users? Because from where I'm sitting, all you're doing is creating frustration and unnecessary errors.

Turn off copy and paste? That's just plain stupid.

What do you think?