IBM Seeks Patent On Digital Witch Hunts

theodp writes "Should Mark Zuckerberg want to identify a snitching Facebook employee, Elon Musk wish to set a trap for loose-lipped Tesla employees, or Steve Jobs want to 'play Asteroid,' they'll be happy to know that a new IBM 'invention' makes it easier than ever to be paranoid. In a newly-disclosed patent application for Embedding a Unique Serial Number into the Content of an Email for Tracking Information Dispersion (phew!), Big Blue describes how it's automated the creation of Canary Traps with patent-pending software that makes ever-so-slight changes to e-mail wording to allow you to spy on the unsuspecting recipients of your e-mail."

Comments

That's a neat trick!

[Tumbleweed]

I'm pretty sure witches are analog.

Re:That's a neat trick!

[Airborne-ng]

Everyone knows witches are made of wood.

"What also floats in water?" "Bread!" "Apples!" "Very small rocks!" "Cider!" "Great gravy!" "Cherries!" "Mud!" "Churches...churches!" "Lead...lead!"

Their Hovercraft is full of Crap

[IonOtter]

This won't go anywhere.

Or if they do and try to implement this in their system, it will last until the first email is translated into a language OTHER than US English.

"Over the last 20 years, we have remained dedicated to a single mission..."

"Over the last 20 years, we have remained confined to a single mental institution..."

"Over the last 20 years, we have remained obligated to one church..."

"Over the last 20 years, we have remained engaged in espionage..."

Re:Their Hovercraft is full of Crap

[Anonymous Coward]

"Over the last 20 years, we have remained dedicated to a single mission..."

Federation.

"Over the last 20 years, we have remained confined to a single mental institution..."

Borg

"Over the last 20 years, we have remained obligated to one church..."

Bajoran

"Over the last 20 years, we have remained engaged in espionage..."

Romulan

Condom?

[0100010001010011]

What are those for?

Re:Condom?

[Anonymous Coward]

If it weren't for accidents, many of us wouldn't be here.

Re:Two obvious comments

[dr2chase]

Wow! Automation. Word processing. I had never imagined the computers were capable of such a thing.

Next you'll be telling me that they can automatically spot spelling errors, and wrap text at an 80-character margin.

Re:Security through obscurity. Again.

[nacturation]

Viola, new unique copies, that don't match what they have on record.

When I leak your post to the world, I'll be sure to change that to "Cello, new unique copies..."

Re:Obscurity isn't worthless

[pyro_peter_911]

People think, "nobody's out to get me."

You must be new here.

Peter