Government Uses Color Laser Printer Technology to Track Documents

[Augustwest]

Article

According to experts, several printer companies quietly encode the serial number and the manufacturing code of their color laser printers and color copiers on every document those machines produce. Governments, including the United States, already use the hidden markings to track counterfeiters.

But it's ok, as long as you're not doing anything illegal, right?

 

[R.H. Lee]

dayum! Now I have to destroy those 400,000 20's I just printed............

 

[Standing Wolf]

Well, yeah, but we're not a police state.

 

[ALS]

So what, if you don't register it or buy it with a credit card, or buy an extended warranty how will they ever link you to that printer. I got an idea buy two the unknown one you send all your hate mail with and use the registered one to cover your butt if they come looking for you.

 

[R.H. Lee]

'cept the drivers prolly include secret software that sends your computer id directly to .gov as soon as you access the internet. {now where did I leave that Reynolds wrap ?}

 

[Harry Tuttle]

the xerox RIPs shut down the engine and phone home via the service modem line if they see you making 20s

 

[twency]

the xerox RIPs shut down the engine and phone home via the service modem line if they see you making 20s

I think that was intended as a joke. If so, it's not far from the truth. Check out this story.

-twency

 

[biere]

Even if you keep the computer off the net you still have some trouble when a warrent is served.

I had 2 old typewriters and one electric one I have been wanting to get rid of.

Now I may as well haul one out to the cabin and type my manifesto or thank you notes on it. Do they still make carbon paper?

 

[twency]

Go back to sleep. Big Brother isn't watching you, or making it easier to watch you in disturbing new ways. Nope. Just go back to sleep. The government will keep you safe.

-twency
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This soothing message was brought to you by Big Brothers International.

 

[auschip]

I heard Reynold's wrap is including RFIDs in every piece of aluminium foil. THat way, the .GOV can track who is using tin foil to block the .GOV brain controlling waves.

 

[Andrew Rothman]

That is some truly scary stuff.

 

[DRZinn]

Time to buy some gold and a printing press...

 

[Faithless]

That'll teach all those people who scan their arses...

So Mr Smith are these your buttocks?

 

[M1911Owner]

So, if you want to print up an anonymous political pamphlet, it sounds like you better use the public, self-service machines somewhere.

Hmmm... Better make that, "the public, self-service machines somewhere where they don't have surveilance cameras."

 

[auschip]

So, if you want to print up an anonymous political pamphlet, it sounds like you better use the public, self-service machines somewhere.

Hmmm... Better make that, "the public, self-service machines somewhere where they don't have surveilance cameras."

Or use Black and white.

 

[aircarver]

......and dan raTHer thought he was sooooo.... smart.....

 

[M1911Owner]

And we're sure they don't have something on black and white printers, too?

(Fashioning tinfoil hat...)

 

[jimpeel]

Panic not, oh ye of little faith!

If one wishes to see if the "little yellow dots" are there, they can simply place a piece of black construction paper in the feeder to see them.

The way around this is to simply take the document to any plain paper B&W copier and reprint it there. All copiers ignore the color yellow. If you don't believe this, simply get a yellow highlighter -- not the flourescent kind as they have green in them -- and write anything you wish across a document or blank sheet of paper and send it through a copier.

I have used this trick to mark my master documents, such as form masters, for years. I simply write "MASTER" across the face of the master to keep me from using a copy of a copy of a copy, etc. with the attendant degradation of print quality.

All copier mfgrs recommend using a yellow sheet of paper as a separator sheet for multi-part documents. The yellow sheet is ignored and no toner is wasted. After the copying is done, it is simple to locate the yellow sheets to re-collate the document.