Slashdot Mirror
Canon Blocks Copy Jobs Using Banned Keywords
aesoteric notes that a future version of Canon's document management system will include the exciting breakthrough technology that will OCR your printed and scanned documents, and
prevent distribution of keywords. Documents containing the offending words can be sent to the administrator, without actually telling the user just what word tripped the alarm. The article notes that simply using 1337 for example will get around it.
How long until making photocopies of your butt becomes a thing of the past?
I guess they thought, "Well, it is no worse than IBM selling equipment to the Germans during World War II!"
Palm trees and 8
It will be interesting to see when businesses wont be able to fax, or deal with clients whose names contains those banned words because of this technology. Once again 3 steps forward, 2 back...
Canon sucks
FTA: "a prohibited keyword, such as a client name or project codename."
Sounds more like a security tool than a censorship tool. (Yes, it could be used for cens
All a publisher would have to do is to embed a code or passphrase or optical pattern on the pages of their copyrighted publication and then arrange with manufacturers such as Canon or Xerox not to duplicate those pages. The pattern could be a watermark in the background of the content, defeating attempts to obscure it with a post-it not or some such.
I predict a huge demand for older, dumber photocopiers.
I can see the fnords!
You're doing it wrong. If there's anything I've learned in dealing with people, it is never try to create a technical solution to a social problem. If someone wants to make a copy of some secret document, they will quickly learn that the copiers have this software installed and will use a different machine. You need to figure out why they would want to make copies of something you don't want them to, and solve that problem. I could see this being marginally useful for preventing accidental release of information, however the article seems to state that they are trying to stop deliberate users.
A determined user who has guessed the prohibited keyword could get around it by simply substituting numbers or other characters for letters, such as z00 instead of zoo, representatives for Canon conceded.
Sewage Treatment Facilities - "Our duty is clear."
I imagine the first terms to be added could be something like "Company Confidential, Do Not Copy" or "Sensitive Business Information".
That said, copiers already block copying of certain patterns, such as US currency. With a little trial and error it's not hard to figure out exactly what on the dollar bill is being matched. Just add it to your documents, and no body will even be able to print them. (Careful, as some brands of printers will lock themselves and require a service call after you try to copy money.)
"The system can optionally inform the user by email that their attempt has been blocked, but without identifying the keyword in question, maintaining the security of the system."
Until the user decides to compare his blocked page with blocked pages from other letters or does a binary search for the forbidden word. Glad they thought this through.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
From TFA: "The latest version of Uniflow has a keyword-based security system. Once configured by an administrator, the system can prevent a user from attempting to print, scan, copy or fax a document containing a prohibited keyword, such as a client name or project codename."
So its not some Canon thing where they think some words shouldnt be used. You know, dirty words like Bottom or Crevice.
The internal admin can set the words. Its like a silent alarm really. No different to a corporate spam filter with words added to a blacklist by an admin.
In post Patriot Act America, the library books scan you.
Egads! I hope that doesn't happen. I don't hold anything against the man, but that's precisely the point. Now, if I worked one department over, for that lovely 30-something woman, I wouldn't mind so much. :D
Cheers,
"What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
"A four-foot prune."
what happens if you unplug the LAN cord?
Just use CAPTCHAs for any banned words, phrases, or other banned content.
make imaginary.friends COUNT=100 VISIBLE=false
10,000 quatloos to the first printer virus that propagates from printer to printer on the network and whose only other effect is to replace the word "strategic" with the word "satanic" in any printed output!
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Verbing weirds language.
This has nothing to do with the FCC. I think this is a terrible idea too, but this is not the FCC doing anything. This is bad because it opens the door for all sorts of abuses, not because the abuses have happened yet.
Palm trees and 8
Joke's on you, Canon! I print out all my important documents in Wingdings...
"Anyone who [rips a CD] is probably engaging in copyright infringement." - David O. Carson
http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=xx-hacker
better not be on that list.
"You'll get nothing, and you'll like it!"
How to abuse this system (and possibly get fired)
Step 1: Find some known banned words that are not easily noticed
Step 2: Get access to coworker's Microsoft Word.
Step 3: Set Auto-correct to change similar spelled words to these banned words.
Step 4: Don't get caught.
We should start a new Slashdot and return control to the geeks. It actually wouldn't be that hard to get some users to
Censorship == bad but...
If you have access to one of these machines at work and you can't copy something, maybe there's a good reason for it. If it's hindering your job, go up the chain (painful perhaps but such is life). If you're doing it for personal reasons, maybe you should go to a copy shop.
If you're the nefarious type, photograph the pages and print them elsewhere.
If you own the copier, you control the keywords.
I'm looking at this from the employer perspective. I'm purposely not looking at the copyrighted work angle. Though I have to say this doesn't seem to be aimed at that. Doesn't seem like a huge YRO issue though. But maybe someone can come up with some alternate arguments.
This has nothing to do with foul language and everything to do with people walking out the door with account numbers, medical records, credit card info, social security numbers and other valuable private information.
This is not a privacy issue; there is little expectation of privacy in a workplace when using company property anyway. I personally feel this would be a nice help; imagine working for a government contractor and having having software automatically raise flags when someone copies documents with "DO NOT COPY" or "CONFIDENTIAL" in the OCR text. This is somewhat useful.
Oh shit, so now regular people are going to start writing like spammers to avoid filters.
Great! Now how am I going to tell spam from valid emails? Thanks a lot Canon!
This is not slashdot. You've entered into an alternate universe, where things are slightly different, such as the word "cannon" being spelled "canon".
I do not respond to cowards. Especially anonymous ones.
And yet none of the technology to implement this is ground breaking or terribly new, and its just integrating a couple things. It's just another feature on the datasheet that any programmer given a decent OCR system (something anybody could buy for years, let alone Canon) and an OS capable of sending email could implement in a few minutes.
I expect the general population to be wowed by this magic.
I also like how this becomes Evil once a large company decides to put a price on it and make whoever wants it pay for it.
I must have a different understanding of this context unless by "exciting breakthrough" they mean "censorship breakthrough", then I get it.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
This is slashdot, dude. Any time a new technology comes out that allows "the man" to block something, everyone dons a tinfoil hat and speculates on how US gov't will team up with China, South Korea, and zombie Hitler to suppress our freedoms.
Just another brick in the wall.
-FL
s/South/North/
If you do figure out what feature triggers the lockout and then alter it so that it's not actually the bill any more but still triggers the lockout, you can spread copy center havoc without breaking the law at all.
So the days of mooning a copier are over. Goatse will probably trigger a 911 call.
Table-ized A.I.
Canon Inc. has nothing to do with cannon. Also, Canon is a word in it's own right.
Canon Blocks Copy Jobs Using Banned Keywords
If the keywords are banned, how can you use them to do any copy blocking?
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
I imagine the first terms to be added could be something like "Company Confidential, Do Not Copy" or "Sensitive Business Information".
Just tell Canon what they are...
The Human Resource Director goes to photocopy the new Employee Handbook, which contains this entry:
"No computer, physical mailings or any other media shall contain or promote pornography (including but not limited to child pornography and bestiality). Any violation of this policy will be dealt with severely and quickly, and could result in termination."
The copy job is denied and simply goes away. The Director doesn't know why her job didn't complete so she tries it again, and again a 3rd time before moving on to a different copier.
The Network Administrator receives this email message, pre-marked as high priority:
"ATTENTION ADMINISTRATOR: IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
User 'HR Dir' is a sadomasochistic, highly active and prolific peddler of child, farm animal and pet pornography as well as snuff films, and publicly declares their issues with premature ejaculation and poor sexual performance. CLICK HERE to notify your local law enforcement agencies."
will be some of the first 'banned words', I bet. Only in Chinese, not English.
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
I think you will find that malicious damage is rather well covered under the law.
char*f="char*f=%c%s%c;main(){printf(f,34,f,34);}";main(){printf(f,34,f,34);}
what the hell difference would that make?
-pyrrho
cool 1337 is my UID # i was assigned here on slashdot!
locked out of this slashdot account for 10+ years... Im back
Malice can be hard to prove, especially when the fact that a copier will bug out if you try to copy money isn't all that well publicized.
This has nothing to do with foul language and everything to do with people walking out the door with account numbers, medical records, credit card info, social security numbers and other valuable private information.
Yes, this is true.
Although I don't know why this is "Breaking News" considering it has been offered on Xerox products for over 3 years.
And I should know, we sell this stuff to government departments purely based on the security we can offer them.
It might be easy to hand write the details off the screen for circumvention, but that is only going to net you a small data set. These systems are designend to stop people walking off with entire client databases and that type of thing. In the governemnt, it's more about keyword 'flagging' that sends the MIB to your desk on very short notice.
Dan. -- So what if it's spelt wrong, nobody's perfect
A mature adult should be able to tolerate some inappropriate language.
"Of course, of course," said Dr. Hardrum, "but my dear lady, what about the children?"
"All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
What if you copy at an angle? Can it still OCR that?
I come here for the love
And that is a classic misuse of it's.
You mean they *won't*?
Hooray!
*does the dance of joy*
Pfah, any spy worth his salt uses a camera. No traces, no helpful copier logs, no meddlesome Canon OCR gadgetry.
That out of the way it seems clear this trickery is not so much aimed at blocking espionage - which it won't - but more at keeping you from copying your course books. And that, dear reader, is why I keep my trusty HP 5200C in its cozy box up on the attic, ready to scan that what is deemed improper by the powers that be at my whim. It also helps that the thing is nigh indestructible and will probably outlive my machines with the required USB1 connectors.
--frank[at]unternet.org
That sure would make it a very appealing target for industrial espionage.
"What was on that disk, Bob?"
"Just some random words! 'Korea' 'Supply' 'Refining technology' 'Nuclear' 'Weapons' and some other things about presidents and sexual favours from secretaries."
"Hmmm..."
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
You don't want China to know this.
"The article notes that simply using 1337 for example will get around it."
That'll work well.
"To all staff: this is to inform you that your boss has been 1337ing you in the ass, and 1337ing all the credit for your hard work. Please see http://1337/ for the evidence.
Yours faithfully,
Your 1337 Union Representative"
Because then anything with a model number might be excluded.
While I'm not disagreeing that some whiners will attempt a lawsuit, it's just amazing that such are entertained at all.
Specified personnel get notified when a user attempts to copy something marked "Confidential-Not to be copied"? Cry me a river of privacy-emitting penumbras.
The feature is not going to be activated when people copy their boring love letters written in cursive, but why are they bringing those to work, anyway?
I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on the Internet. Blog
This is more about printers, mostly colour printers I believe, but it is a related technology as far as I know.
About EURion constellation and bank notes:
Maybe eventually we can make language a complete impediment to understanding.
This might work better and will be working more efficiently towards our environment:
I want to bet, that company will be having a very ergonomic usage of paper.
--- I am known for the ones who want to find me on the net. Is that a privacy risk or a privilege? One might wonder..
A mature adult should be able to tolerate some inappropriate language.
"Of course, of course," said Dr. Hardrum, "but my dear lady, what about the children?"
It is up to the parents of the child to raise that child, not other corporations, the FCC or any other government agency unless if they are wards of the state.
Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
A mature adult should be able to tolerate some inappropriate language.
"Of course, of course," said Dr. Hardrum, "but my dear lady, what about the children?"
It is up to the parents of the child to raise that child, not other corporations, the FCC or any other government agency unless if they are wards of the state.
I'm sorry, I should have been less cryptic. I agree with you, I was just pointing out the tired old excuse of Thinking of the Children.
I think people who ring that bell may be trying to protect their own childish insecurities, but I don't think there's a short-term way to drag them kicking and/or screaming into adulthood.
I like to believe that newer generations are less prone to the echo chamber, as technology allows for easier access to pluralism - but that may just be my own naive idealism.
"All these years believing you're the signified monkey, only to find out you're just a big hunk of nobody cares."
Yep, we've got software that keeps you from writing to USB drives, that watches what you save to your hard drive, scans your email for keywords in case you try to mail confidential info home, network software that checks every PC that attaches to the network to make sure all of the other software is installed and up to date. Grabbing a paper copy off your managers desk and Xeroxing it is about the only thing you can do if you want to steal company data.
It's a notably cromulent verb!
Seriously, though, new words are coined all the time and often need to be. What else would you call running text through an OCR program?
Free Martian Whores!
If it can email it to your supervisor, it can send things other places as well. I hadn't thought about this aspect of it before, but the Xerox copiers in my office will scan to an email & do ocr if requested. It is likely perfectly capable of being programmed to do exactly this already, just take a minor upgrade of the software. This is assuming it isn't already doing this.