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EFF Requests Help to Identify "Evil" Printers
jason writes "In preparation for a possible legal challenge, The Electronic Frontiers Foundation is requesting your help in identifying which printers are embedding traceable information in the documents they produce. Printer manufactures added this technology under persuasion from the government inorder to help combat counterfeiting operations, however this technology defeats the presumed anonymity most people expect from the documents they print."
From TFA:
The millimeter-sized dots appear about every inch on a page, nestled within the printed words and margins.
Can anyone produce a human-readable example of this?
Perhaps it's time to unfold my tinfoil hat and use it to cover my printouts instead.
Bang Logic - Serious Small Business Services
EFF deserves a bit of respect for this. They're trying to let everyone else know what companies are doing behind their little white walls to lock you down. Personally, I'm going to make a donation right now to EFF. They need some big-time exposure to change the normal cow-like brainless mob of AOL users into intelligent thinkers.
Use bad quality paper, the version which always smudges the ink a little. That will make super small print into super small smudge.
My wife's sketchblog Blob[p]: Gastrono-me
And here I was thinking all along that it was just a crappy printer that messed up every inch or so.
Maybe I could add a few more of mine in Photoshop just to make things more interesting.
Better that than suggesting that Xerox (and Canon and HP) should be shot for caving into foreign governments who use this to suppress free speech, all the while not telling us that they're doing it.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
There was an interview on NPR a few weeks ago with Michael Smith, the British journalist who uncovered the "Downing Street Memo." He said that governments already do this: when a classified document is distributed, they often introduce subtle changes in wording from one copy to the next, so that each person receives a very slightly different copy. That way, in theory if the document is leaked, they can figure out who leaked it.
I read Usenet for the articles.
And there is where they catch you, since photocoiers do this as well. In fact, modern copiers also have "currenty detectors" to prevent money copying, some won't print particular shades like the green of US currency, and many use the same print engines as the printers, so expect this "secret chip" inside them as well.
What I'm wondering is, what is the chance the chip is an EPROM that is burned with the model and serial number. Then consider:
1: Remove chip.
2: Program in new number.
3: Re-insert chip that printer won't run without.
4: PROFIT!
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
Back during the Cold War, anyone who owned a typewriter was required to submit a typing sample to the government. The idea was to create a database so to assist in tracking any given document to a specific typewriter.
The US Government has removed the ambiguity from this process, and made it far easier to definitely tie a document to a printer.
Well, except for the fact that I'm sure the government has a couple printers lying around that can add whatever serial number and printer model they want.
"Live Free or Die." Don't like it? Then keep out of the USA
The EFF is concerned about this technology because they've read their history books. And because some people who participated in writing the history books... had to be very careful about what they printed those books on. And because the systems of government used in the Warsaw Pact countries from 1917-1991 was - to many people, myself included - "evil".
I posted this a few months ago, the last time the topic came up. This is not just about counterfeiting. (And as a guy who likes money, I hate counterfeiters with a passion almost equalled to my hatred of spammers, which is pretty freakin' intense.)
In Soviet Romania [google.com], a sample page from every typewriter had to be registered with the police, so that any samizdat produced could be quickly traced back to the typewriter's owner. Use your imagination as to what happened to the owner, or Google for it.
In Soviet Russia [geocities.com], all photocopiers were registered with the KGB and kept in secure rooms, to which physical access was restricted.
The West is probably still playing catch-up.
Or how about this: You are going away for a month on vacation. You print out access codes to your house alarm system. Heck, just for fun, you also print out some temporary admin passwords to some servers you run and give the paper to your most trusted friend in the world to fill in for you while you are gone to watch over the servers and water your plants.
He accidentally loses the paper. Somehow it ends up in the hands of a black hat. Now all the black hat needs is to know WHO printed this list to take advantage of the situation.
Now how do you feel about your identity stored on that paper?
It isn't what it WILL be used for, it's what it COULD be used for that bothers me.
So...what's the point of having the microdots?
Modern copyright is theft of culture from everyone and it retards the progress of the useful arts and sciences.
...ok, so the EFF wants eight PDFs printed on my printer. Fine.
When opening the PDFs, I find that they are made to be printed on a sheet of paper roughly 71 by 92 inches in size...?
What kind of printer do they think I have, anyway?
(and when scaling down to about 11% of original size, the detail of the original document was partly lost in printout... Somebody there obviously hasn't tested these PDFs...)
I use to work for a copy shop and a copier reseller and its true. Or at least on some of the machines. As it was described to me: At every random sheet(somewhere between 1 and 10) the machine's serial number will be embedded into the text/picture that is printed. The reason for doing this is to prevent large scale counterfeiting.
Now, if you think that every printer out there has this feature then you'd be wrong. Black and white printers never have this in them for a simple reason...they are B&W. This technology was put into machines that could quickly and accurately copy currency. A B&W printer will not fool anyone. On the other hand, if you think that the desktop HP that is sitting next to you has this, think again. Look at the resolutions that is need to embed the serial number into the picture/text.
This technology, from my understanding, is only put into medium to high end color copiers. For example, a Xerox 3535 or Doc-10 or Doc-50 would have this technology in it. These machines usually cost somewhere between 25,000 to 50,000 USD. So if you want to find the 'evil' printers, start there.
Wouldn't make a spec of difference, unless you are extremely extremely lucky.
Each copy is only subtly different, and even if you change yours, youre not going to change BACK any of the changes they made unless youre extremely lucky, to the point of impossible. If they find the copied document, they know all the changes you made because, well, they didnt make them. Thus leaving your original copy intact.
I know this is old news which I didn't pay much attention to until I got an inexpensive laser printer 2 weeks ago. Does anyone know if the "tracking dots" are also printed on B&W laser printers? I have the Samsung ML-1740 buy.com had for $30 after rebates, I think it's up to 50 after rebated, but it's still a good deal. I remember over hearing the evening news covering this a few weeks ago, yes the common folks news has mentioned this.
Used to convict, used to prove innocents?
these dots could be used to discredit someone claiming to have incriminating documents from you, but only if all the papers they have from you but the documents in question match pages you know are from your printer. Then the counter arguement of you know docs can be traced back to printers and you printer that one somewhere else.
It would be nice if printers that did this were clearly labeled as doing so and the manual contained instructions for the end user to find and verify them.
If someone gave me an old document they claim I gave to them, I'd like to be able to confirm that it was from me. In the unlikely event someone claimed to have a document from you, you could confirm it was from you or at least your printer. Just's just as easy to fake email headers as it is to put someone else's name in the from part of a letter and hit print.
F7 doesn't work, ignore spelling and grammar
But the Xerox ID is not necessarily linked to the original document's origin so unless the copier extracts the dots from the original documents and somehow replicates them on the copy, the means to determine with reasonable proof the most likely origin through ID is lost.
If a compromising Bush document is printed on a White House colour laser printer then Xerox'd at a local pharmacy before mailing the copy or simply faxing, the exact origin is most likely lost.
Worst case, buy yellow transparent film if you do not want to take any chances. If the whole page is filtered to be yellow, it makes the equipment's job of picking it up much tougher, assuming said equipment actually tries to pick them up.
Won't it be priceless when the EFF's lawsuit is dismissed in the name of homeland security, and the next day they're told to hand over all of their collected "evidence", also in the name of homeland security? And of course if they ever reveal that they've been told to hand over the information, they'll all be tossed in jail without charges other than violating some classified measure in the so-called "patriot act".
At least they're not photographing train stations, public parks, or doing something else equally dangerous to national security, but just think of the intelligence goldmine present in all those test pages being sent to the EFF. A goon...er...security agent could get a promotion out of this!
(HP)
Turn off printer.
Remove Network Card.
Turn on printer while holding (checkmark), and continue holding button.
When printer says ready (orwhatever), turn it off.
Put the network card back in.
I for one am planning to print all my color documents with a faint solid yellow background. Perhaps the EFF could help by providing instructions for printing the correct solid yellow on each model printer?
The US will not make the same mistake the USSR did. If another Bulgakov surfaces in Dubya's America, this printer-ID technology will rat him out before that freedom-hating Nobel Prize Committee has a chance to work its evil. Why does the EFF hate America?
Its not bank notes they are concerned about, its the thousands of other documents that come from so many sources that its impossible for an average person to tell the real from the fake. An example of this could be birth certificates, bank letters of credit, police background checks. In some parts of the world such as Egypt that base their banking system on what the paper says vs what's in the computer, its trivial to rip off banks with fake documents which is why you have to register you printer there.
What about black and white printers? I have an hp LaserJet 1320, and I'm curious if it might have one of these. I would guess they don't because the microdots are probably designed to catch counterfeiters. Can you provide any insight? OH, and don't forget, Slashdot has repeatedly refused lawyer-powered requests for the usernames of anonymous posters. ;-)
ttuttle is a rankmaniac
Well, now that people know how the security system works (Info on detection system), it seems that any photographer who wants to protect their originals from being reproduced could find a way of putting the same pattern in their photograph to prevent duplication (incase you're wondering, if it was me, I'd use a plastic stencil cut with the appropriate pattern, and an airbrush with yellow paint/ink/pigment to add them to the background of something I had already printed a clean copy of).
Seems like there might be a business opportunity in this - commercial photographers protecting their images from being duplicated by customers, etc.
N.
"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Charles de Gaulle
I thought I read somewhere that DVD burners do this same trick - every burned DVD includes the unique ID of the drive that created it; this feature too, is part of the firmware and cannot be bypassed.
If you don't work for the same company I do, it would be one of only a small handful of others. I am well aware that all our colour capable devices have anti-counterfeiting technologing on board (the yellow dots).
If the EFF have a problem with a technology which was designed to prevent counterfeiting, do they also have a problem with serial numbers on genuine currency?
Sara
Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
The thought that immediately comes to mind is that the USSR used to catalog the typefaces of every typewriter sold so that they could trace any document back to the original author.
Of course, I suspect that any sufficiently advanced forensic analysis of a document could probably tie it to a printer. However, the fact that these are documented is what bothers me. I.e. the FBI need only ask Xerox which printer produced a specific document and they can tell them.
The USSR used this sort of scheme to censor writers and ensure that if someone spoke out they could be easily traced. What is to prevent any government from making the same requirements of any company?
LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
It isn't some magic recognition software, it just looks for a small group of circles that are a certain pattern. The latest version of photoshop can detect it, too, but it is easily defeated with blue sandwich wrap(well, until you go to print it).
According to Epson, some of their inkjet printers use all colors of ink, even when printing only black pages, ostensibly to keep the heads clear. Even if you only print black pages, your color cartridges will eventually be depleted. Incidentally, Epson printers will refuse to print if any of the cartridges are missing or empty.
There's three possible reasons for this:
1.) They genuinely are concerned about keeping the heads clear
2.) They want to make sure you have to buy expensive ink tanks even if you don't use them
3.) They are really printing microdots that can be traced back to the printer.
Give me my freedom, and I'll take care of my own security, thank you.
A blue LED really helps show up those yellow dots. They'll come up looking like tiny specks of black pepper.
I recently had some manual covers printed out at OfficeWorks using their colour laser Xerox machine - sure enough the microdots were there.
It would surprise you to know thta we are closer to this then you know. First hospitals are required to take footprints at birth. There is a corelation between the footprint and the finger print but i'm not sure about how acurate it is. Second, The schools already do finger printing as early as kindergarden or preschool.
They do this finger printing under the guise that if your kid ever becomes missing they can use it to identify them. I refused to let my kid do this but the teacher went ahead and did it saying it would have made him feel left out. Once it is in the system there is nothign we can do to reomve it and seeing how the government has to agree to let you sue them, there is realy no action that could have reversed it.
My understanding is that this is done nation wide. they claim the finger prints aren't part of a criminal reacord but they have to be able to cross reference them ot identify you kid once he's found dead so don't think for a minute that other agencies don't have access to it.
It probably won't be too long before they are taken at the hospital before the baby is released. Somethign more powerfull then "the war on terror" is "it for the children". That will create a scenario were anyone objecting will look like some wacko, pedo or worse. It's just somethign thats hard to word corectly.
First of all, the effect is purported only to be incorporated in certain high-quality laser devices. The typical ink-jet printer and even your standard SOHO/business-class color printer/copier can't get even close to the quality of reproducing currency, not to mention the ridiculously difficult process of implementing color management. So why would they bother? We are talking about high-quality, high-speed professional output devices. Secondly, you attack the grandparent, yet ignore evidence (the Doc12) presented in the article. And third, much of what you write is simply innacurate. There's been some discussion here about rewriting the drivers. Believe me, this has nothing to do with drivers or even printer firmware. This is all happening in-RIP. What is a RIP? It's a Raster Image Processor, and it's a dedicated box that specifically translates printer files, be it PCL 5, 6, or PostScript, into the raster image that will be printed on the page. Guess what? Nobody buys a $6,000-$40,000 RIP or a $20,000 high-speed printer without getting a service contract to go with it. And what do you need when you have a service contract? A serial number, of course. Also, your statement that 1200 dpi output produces visible jaggies, is patently false. Pick up a book and look at it. The paper in that book was inked by an impression cylinder, which was inked by a plate, which was probably made from film, which was produced by an imagesetter, which received a file from a RIP that was -- wait, let's take a guess, how much? -- about 1200 dpi! 1200 dpi was specifically chosen because the human eye cannot see the corners of the dots. Every printed piece you look at was RIPped at about 1200dpi. And yes, microdots are real. Microdots, sometimes called spots, are what make up dots. The 600/300 lpi (lines per inch, not dots per inch) quality limit has everything to do with a) the ability of the RIP software to rasterize an image into line screens, and b) the reality that dot gain ('bleed', as you call it) makes printing 4-color process impossible at much higher of a line screen. But is it possible to lay down one microdot/spot, all by itself, and for it to stay just fine without interference from any other nearby dots? Of course! Even your ink jet can do this, by simply spraying out a bit of ink as the nozzle closes. Believe me, they do this at HP. Give the poster a break. Obviously, he works for a small company. Xerox, on the other hand, happens to have an exclusive contract with Kinko's, so there's about 5,000 Doc12's out there with bored college kids messing around with them on the night shift. Are you telling me you think nobody's ever even tried to counterfeit currency? Your stubbornness amazes me viewed in context with your absolute ignorance to the subject. Sincerely, Ryan Kirk