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Hidden Codes in Printers Cracked

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the big-brother-pwnz-you dept.

r84x writes "A research team led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recently broke the code behind tiny tracking dots that some color laser printers secretly hide in every document. The U.S. Secret Service admitted that the tracking information is part of a deal struck with selected color laser printer manufacturers, ostensibly to identify counterfeiters. However, the nature of the private information encoded in each document was not previously known. "We've found that the dots from at least one line of printers encode the date and time your document was printed, as well as the serial number of the printer," said EFF Staff Technologist Seth David Schoen."

5 of 562 comments (clear)

  1. Before... by trevordactyl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Before anyone has a conniption, consider this: do you really think that "they" have a database they could reference to find out what printer serial number goes to what citizen? I don't. I know they could, but I choose to believe (most likely for good reason) that they don't.

    Just realize that 99.9% of the world doesn't give a shit about anything you do, and all that paranoia just slips away. That's what I did.

    1. Re:Before... by Alchemar · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What do you think all the registration cards that are "required" for warrenty are about. It is utterly amazing how much junk they store on individuals in the name of marketing. I will agree that no one will care about most people, but not caring and not having the information in a database are two different things. I have a very unique name derived from a misspelling on a birth certificate. The only two people in the world with my name is me and my father, but I still pull up over 500 hits if I enter it in google. Most of them some kind of goverment or school entery. No one cares about me or my father now, but the information is still there if that ever changes.

    2. Re:Before... by DjReagan · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "Just realize that 99.9% of the world doesn't give a shit about anything you do, and all that paranoia just slips away"

      Oh, so there's only 0.1% of the world who is interested in what I'm doing?

      I'm glad it works out for you, but 6 million people snooping around in my private life doesn't make my paranoia go away.

      --
      "When I grow up, I want to be a weirdo"
  2. Re:Printer Friendly Version? by nolife · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hell, it's not like anyone actually cares what you print unless you're doing something illegal that would warrent them spending a lot of time and money to try and find you.
    The people that do not want their houses randomly searched must be hiding something, after all, why would they not want searched? I know, point taken to the extreme but where do you draw the line?

    --
    Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
  3. My country right or wrong is WRONG by Analogy+Man · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Where do we stop using intrusive technologies.

    • Felonious use of technology (e.g. counterfieter)
    • Legal use by felon (e.g. mail from murderer)
    • Illegal use as civil disobediance (e.g. printing document that is improperly classified secret for political reasons)
    • Constitutionally protected but anti-establishment use (e.g. hand distribution of fliers of "Top 10 Reasons to Impeach Congressman Blowhard")

    The "if you have nothing to hide" apologists for elimination of freedoms is a slippery slope to totalitarianism. Orwell would snicker!

    --
    When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.