Anonymous Coward User ID: 63759862 United States 12/05/2016 12:31 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | All modern color printers print a secret, nearly invisible code onto every page to allow governments to track the serial number and timestamps [ link to www.blacklistednews.com] that people even take the time to think this shit up is disgusting.this is a new level of fuckery Printer steganography is a type of steganography – "hiding data within data"[1] where tiny yellow dots are added to each page. The dots are barely visible and contain encoded printer serial numbers and timestamps. Unlike many forms of steganography, the hidden information is not intended to be available from a computer file, but to allow serial number and time of printing to be determined by close examination of a printout. The Electronic Frontier Foundation stated in 2015 that "the documents that we previously received through a (Freedom of Information Request)[2] suggested that all major manufacturers of color laser printers entered a secret agreement with governments to ensure that the output of those printers is forensically traceable....it is probably safest to assume that all modern color laser printers do include some form of tracking information that associates documents with the printer's serial number."[3] History During the 1990s Xerox and other companies sought to reassure governments that their printers would not be used for forgery. The identification is by means of a watermark, often using yellow-on-white, embedded in the printout of each page, and in conjunction with other information can be used to identify the printer which was used to print any document originally produced on a wide range of popular printers. It has been reported that monochrome printers and copiers from major manufacturers also include the markings. It may be actual text, or a repeated pattern of dots throughout the page, more easily visible under blue light or with a magnifying glass, and is intended to produce minimal visible change to the printout, ideally being imperceptible to the naked eye. In 2005, the Electronic Frontier Foundation cracked the codes for Xerox DocuColor printers and published an online guide to their detection.[4] Most printers' codes have not been decoded, although the coding system framework and printer serial number encoding is the same on both DocuColor and the Epson Aculaser C1100/C1100N/A. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 73540532 Germany 12/05/2016 12:32 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: All modern color printers print a secret, nearly invisible code onto every page to allow governments to track the serial number and timestamps Then only buy used ones. |
NowIhavetothinkofaname
User ID: 73547205 United Kingdom 12/05/2016 12:35 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: All modern color printers print a secret, nearly invisible code onto every page to allow governments to track the serial number and timestamps Awesome thread OP; 5 stars! NowIhavetothinkofanameohnoithurts It's all bull! Nevertheless, the ruler is not truly wise who cannot discern evils before they develop themselves, and this is a faculty given to few. Niccolo Machiavelli Karma is funny, people who kick dogs usually get bitten. If someone doesn't add value to your life, then that someone shouldn't be a part of it. You can always trust people to do whatever is in their own interests. It is certain wastelands will be brought under cultivation. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 2975089 Bulgaria 12/05/2016 12:36 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: All modern color printers print a secret, nearly invisible code onto every page to allow governments to track the serial number and timestamps Old news
Same for scanners.
Professional devices are further modified to assure the limitation to scan and print money. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 54905303 United States 12/05/2016 12:36 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: All modern color printers print a secret, nearly invisible code onto every page to allow governments to track the serial number and timestamps True that, it's been the case for several years. |
DuckNCover
User ID: 55260163 United States 12/05/2016 12:38 AM
Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: All modern color printers print a secret, nearly invisible code onto every page to allow governments to track the serial number and timestamps What about color inkjet printers.... |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 59625174 Sweden 12/05/2016 12:41 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: All modern color printers print a secret, nearly invisible code onto every page to allow governments to track the serial number and timestamps
Owned & worked for many print shops, advertising agencies, graphic designers, etc over the years. Said that just to make my next statement a little more credible. I'm CONSTANTLY using a (really cool) highly powerful magnifying ocular to scrutinize prints and I've used and been around just about every printer known to man and I have NEVER came across no crap like that. Occasionally there are defects, printing errors, ink splattering, misaligned printheads... a whole number of things but absolutely nothing that would indicate that these printers were printing some sort of secret message/I.D. Not saying it's completely out of the realm of possibility, just haven't came across it myself & I have butt-loads of experience. |
Ex_HP User ID: 70044721 Canada 12/05/2016 12:54 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: All modern color printers print a secret, nearly invisible code onto every page to allow governments to track the serial number and timestamps What about color inkjet printers....
Quoting: DuckNCover Worked for HP ink jet in the hay day. It was well known among internal employees that secret service met with top exec's regarding currency copying. HP came up with a way to identify when someone was trying to scan and print money. I would say this was sometime in the mid to late 90's. I wouldn't doubt for a sec that every page printed by ANY printer is encoded just like images are. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 73547389 United States 12/05/2016 01:16 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: All modern color printers print a secret, nearly invisible code onto every page to allow governments to track the serial number and timestamps The answer is
typewriters |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 72331821 Germany 12/05/2016 01:22 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: All modern color printers print a secret, nearly invisible code onto every page to allow governments to track the serial number and timestamps |