Yellow Dots of Mystery: Is Your Printer Spying on You?
Submitted by VX1 on Sun, 02/15/2009 - 08:50
"Imagine that every time you print a document, it automatically includes a secret code that could be used to identify the printer -- and, potentially, the person who used it. Sounds like something from a spy movie, right?
Unfortunately, the scenario isn't fictional. Most color laser printers and color copiers are designed to print invisible tracking codes across every single printed page of their output. These codes reveal which machine produced a document and, in some cases, when the document was printed or copied."
See the video at:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Yellow_Dots_of_Mystery_Is_Yo...
»
I've had this in my bookmarks for a couple years
Lots of tips for e-privacy
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig8/beeler1.html
Colchester, New London County, Connecticut
If you want to remain anonomys
you have to pay cash for your computer without giving your name.
Then also pay cash for your printer and not give your name.
Never use the computer online it will reveal all.
Unless you know how to properly cloak your IP address and the rest.
Also if you should pay cash most stores have cameras. Your image and transaction may well be stored on file somewhere.
So buy at flea markets, garage sales, computer shows and keep your privacy.
Where did you go this weekend? Around. Around where? Nowhere.
No where, where? Around. Tell me what you did. I don't want to tell you.
Why not? I don't want you to know. But if you did not do anything wrong why can't you tell me. Because I don't want you to know.
It is my right to privacy and I want that right. If you you did not do anything bad then there is no reason for you not to tell.
I don't know why you can't understand that I just don't want you to know
what I did because I don't want to tell you or anyone.
I have a right to my privacy and most people just don't get it.
This is OLD news. This has
This is OLD news. This has been going on for probably close to 5 - 10 years now. Anyone who hasn't heard about this hasn't been paying attention.
It's easy to find out if your printer spies on you. Print something out. Turn off all the lights, turn ON a black light and if you have yellow dots, they will show up.
Of course the easy way around this is just not to use color ink. If you take out the color cartridges, there is no yellow to print.
List of printers that track (from EFF): http://www.eff.org/pages/list-printers-which-do-or-do-not-di...
This is true stuff. It just means anything you print...
can be traced back to your printer.
Remember, Dan Rather thought he had damning info against Bush in the 2004 election and they proved it wrong because of this very printer technology. Who cares either way. Unless political speech becomes illegal or things get super bad, my printer can do what it wants because until then it doesn't matter. This technology has helped solve crimes and like anything else it has the potential for good or bad purposes
The fact is... your printer is not spying on you, so you might want to clip your nails and take those tissue boxes off your feet. Eveything's going to be ok....for now. Have you heard what your coffee maker does?
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I have as much authority as the Pope.
I just don't have as many people who believe it -g.carlin
A man who has hate in his heart is not a free man
Translated
"If you're not doing anything wrong, there's nothing to worry about."
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"Let the good heart speak words of true peace, not inciting others to further war." -- B.I.S.
lol. I hate that quote. im just saying. cross that bridge when
you come to it. there much bigger things to concern ourselves with now. if this scares you and you go get software to get rid of the dots whose to say you dont get flagged by downloading the software. then you'll really have their attention! this is just kinda stupid IMHO.
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I have as much authority as the Pope.
I just don't have as many people who believe it -g.carlin
A man who has hate in his heart is not a free man
Just how f***in' paranoid
are some of you people gong to get ?
You do realize
There are places in the world where a person can be sentenced to death and/or subjected to torture for engaging in politically incorrect speech, right?
You also realize that whistleblowers and other individuals in sensitive situations place themselves at personal risk of reprisal by revealing information?
Don't you think it makes sense that people should be aware that the text they printed under conditions of perceived anonymity could actually be used to reveal their identities?
EFF is aware of these situations because they work with many people who live under tyrannical regimes all over the world... and it certainly appears that Amerika is headed in that direction.
Just because a person has never had the need for personal anonymity to protect themselves, does not mean that others shouldn't be made aware of potential risks.
Also, it's only paranoia if it's not true - it looks to me like there is sufficient evidence that this is actually occurring.
_______________________________________________________
"Let the good heart speak words of true peace, not inciting others to further war." -- B.I.S.
Don't be coy,
or pretend to be part of the 'in crowd'.
What the hell is EFF ? What's with all these fancy acronyms ?
How about
Say what you mean, and mean what you
Electronic Frontier Foundation
EFF - Electronic Frontier Foundation, the folks who made the video. You did watch the video ... ?
They promote freedom of speech issues related to the Internet.
www.eff.org
_______________________________________________________
"Let the good heart speak words of true peace, not inciting others to further war." -- B.I.S.
Yes, I did watch the video
Didn't catch the name of the outfit responsible for it.
Would it be too much trouble for you to type the name of the company which you are trying to promote ?
EFF is well known. Most
EFF is well known. Most people are aware of the organization and aware of the acronym. EFF is responsible for helping fight against the telecom and FISA legislation. EFF also helps with the folks who are being sued for trading music and EFF has written numerous amicus brief's to the supreme court on behalf of your rights.
Huh?
...
_______________________________________________________
"Let the good heart speak words of true peace, not inciting others to further war." -- B.I.S.
Electronic Frontier Foundation ... EFF
isn't quite as well known as, for example, GE - General Electric.
In fact, I wouldn't have a hard time believing that any more than 1 in a 100 people would know who EFF is !
Check out what they've
Check out what they've done...
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org....
I'm impressed
maybe 2 out of a 100 know who they are !
I've got a few more steps to go.
I do believe that my toaster wants to kill me. (or maybe I just don't know how to use it)
and your microwave is creating
a digital record of every word spoken every day in your house,
and every thought, as well !
'They' are getting all the info !
Be afraid ... be very afraid !
It is interesting, nevertheless
I don't think this is something to get all up in arms about, but in the very least, makes you think. The governement (which agency?) specifically went to the printer manufacturers and asked them to implement this and to keep it secret. It is interesting to think what other secret deals they have out there. For example, if there was a secret deal with cell phone makers to allow the government to turn on the microphone on your phone and secretly listen to you at any time, would you want to know about it? Have you read 1984 lately?
The fundamental problem
Is the universal presumption of guilt; of which all of the surveillance tech is simply a manifestation.
It is interesting; a friend of mine was recently perusing the FCC code, and was amazed to find, prescribed and codified in law, the requirement that all cellular devices and routers be GPS traceable, 90% to within 300 meters, and 60% to within 100 meters.
I work in Information Technology and I can tell you, the potential for abuse of digital tracking, surveillance, and data-mining is staggering and infinitely worse than the old analog technologies, because meta-data is embedded into the communication signals themselves. Essentially, there is no limit to the amount of extraneous data that can be included.
Another site I would recommend is Kathryn Albrecht's spychips.com
This stuff really is no longer in the realm of science fiction. It is reality and it is here, now. If a person is not a little paranoid, it is due to ignorance; not a lack of evidence.
Welcome to the panopticon.
_______________________________________________________
"Let the good heart speak words of true peace, not inciting others to further war." -- B.I.S.
Old Printers?
It would be interesting to determine when this started occuring (I had first heard of it sometime last year). I wonder if the old dot-matrix type printers are clear of tracking codes? It may be worth it to make a trip to the old computer/salvage store to pick up a cheap late-model printer (if you desire to engage in anonymous political speech).
A lot of RP's campaign materials were printed at home by volunteers...
_______________________________________________________
"Let the good heart speak words of true peace, not inciting others to further war." -- B.I.S.
dot-matrix
I could just about guarantee the dot-matrix printers would be free from the codes, but they won't be printing pretty pictures either. It may be a challenge to get an old dot-matrix printer working with a modern computer (old drivers probably only 8 or 16-bit).
Could this be part of the reason why I can by a printer for $80 (aside from the $80 ink); are those bastards in DC subsidizing these like the digital TV converters?!?
Thanks for the info.
its good to know things like this.
Please Donate Today!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khDgz0rODZU&feature=g-upl
Well...
I'll not be sending any more blackmail nor ransom notes from my printer !
Have to go old-school...
Yeah, I'll have to go old-school and get back to cutting out individual characters from the newspaper and pasting them together with glue... but after newspapers go out of business, what am I supposed to use then?!?
LOL too funny..
maybe we could use cereal boxes?
Thanks VX1
for this info and site. what next???