Your printer is spying on you

[gkainz]

from a tech list I subscribe to...
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http://www.eff.org/Privacy/printers/

The long and short of it is that your color laser printer prints an encoded
message, presumably your printer's serial number, on every piece of paper
you print. I actually checked it out and it's true. We're using an HP
Color LaserJet and the tell-tale signature is there. Allegedly, every piece
of paper you print can be traced back to you. Originally, this was done to
make it easier to track down counterfeiters, but privacy advocates are
concerned about the implications of stifling politically-motivated free
speech.

This might be old news for some people, but I was surprised.
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[Richard]

It's a double edged sword. I always preferred the stamp so I could prove the authenticity of the document. That it be used as proof for other reasons....well, you should always be careful.

 

[fgcason]

Bought mine used. Cash. In a place that's never seen me before or since. Color cartridge is empty and I only need to print B/W anyway.

Warranty card? Whatzat? Haven't filled one of those out yet. EVER.

When I use credit cards to buy stuff, they have yet to open the box to write down the serial # that's on the bottom of the contraption inside the box on anything when they scan the barcode. Simply walk up, scan barcode, pay, walk out. It could be any one of 1000+ they sell that month assuming they're tracking serial numbers inside boxes to specific stores. But I might buy it for someone else and sell/give it to them, who gives it to their friend, who gives it to their neighbor who puts it in the used computer parts store since it's out of ink that sells it to someone else who.....

Track that.

Besides, I've seen several inkjets that once used for a while will leak some dots out on the page out of spite. Black helicopter conspiracy? Or just shoddy built hardware?

Sounds like more jumping at shadows and giving the impression of doing something...

 

[sshekels]

thats why I always print my fake money on Chips...