Color Laser Printers Tracking Everything You Print

Posted by timothy on Monday November 22, 2004 @11:26AM from the welcome-to-the-present-day dept.

It's not new, but it's getting noticed: Jordan writes "Yahoo! News is reporting that several printer manufacturers are now and have been for some time embedding (nearly) invisible serial numbers in every document you print with their color laser printers, allowing law enforcement to track any such document back to the printer which printed it. The technology, ostensibly created to track down money counterfeiters, was created by Xerox about 20 years ago. A Xerox researcher says that the number-embedding chip lies 'way in the machine, right near the laser' and that 'standard mischief won't get you around it.'"

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fascists! by Anonymous Coward · 2004-11-22 11:32 · Score: 0, Flamebait

fascists!
Easy to bypass (sort of) by harrkev · 2004-11-22 11:34 · Score: 0, Flamebait

The quality of inkjet printers is actually better than that of lasers. And if you want to commit some dastardly deed, go to your local office outlet or electronics superstore. Pay cash (well under $100), and dispose of the printer in a dumpster in a different part of town when done. Easy!

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