What is Digg?205 Comments
- tito13kfm, on 07/14/2008, -5/+176"The Secret Service is the only U.S. body that has the ability to decode the information,"
I find that hard to believe. Given enough time and effort any encryption can be broken. - SIRBERUS, on 07/15/2008, -1/+161LOL... I'm part of the Secret Service!
http://w2.eff.org/Privacy/printers/docucolor/ - dracostimpy, on 07/14/2008, -0/+141Simple solution: Make a program that adds random yellow dots to image files before printing.
- randomguy132, on 07/15/2008, -0/+83Note to self: Never refill the yellow toner.
- dracostimpy, on 07/15/2008, -3/+73I think you give them more credit than they deserve, and stop calling me Shirley!
- Peko, on 07/15/2008, -1/+65Mr. Secretary, we have it on good authority that Osama Bin Laden is printing documents at IP Address 192.168.0.100. His computer is called "Pookey"
Oh, wait... - 11Christine, on 07/15/2008, -1/+57Problem solution: print everything on yellow paper.
- inactive, on 07/15/2008, -2/+51That why I always write my own Firmware for my printer.
- vvv63vvv, on 07/15/2008, -2/+45just the printers serial number?
yeah right... i'd bet it can encode a hell of a lot more
IP addresses, cpu signatures etc etc, why stop at just the sn - IIAmusedII, on 07/15/2008, -0/+38This is why I always send a photocopied version of my hate mail to the White House.
- inactive, on 07/15/2008, -1/+36Gads... I hate big brother.
- bales, on 07/15/2008, -1/+35Start using yellow paper?
- robbiemuffin, on 07/14/2008, -5/+35so I'm walmart and I want to make sure not to hire anyone related to the person who just won a lawsuit for slipping on a wet floor, and I happen to have sold them a printer that generates these dots ... I go through my files from the case, find something likely sent from the client rather than the lawyer, you know, something early on in the process, and scan for the dots (there's got to be 20 articles on how to locate them by now, its been around forever) ... let's put that up on "printerblacklists.com" ... that way all the other companies who have general complaints wiht certain people know who to avoid and we can all protect each other ...
- WiseWeasel, on 07/15/2008, -0/+29So why not just buy one with cash?
- m4csrgh3yk3v, on 07/15/2008, -1/+29In russia we use pencil
- wonderchemist, on 07/15/2008, -3/+30Surely, a secret agency would use a dot generating algorithm resistant to obsification by the introduction of additional dots.
- PATSCRU, on 07/15/2008, -2/+27H4CK T3H PL4N3T!!!!!
- inactive, on 07/15/2008, -0/+24EFF is awesome.
- wexmajor, on 07/15/2008, -2/+24"The Secret Service is the only U.S. body that has the ability to decode the information,"
Oh well I guess that makes it okay then.
No wait, it makes it the exact opposite of okay. If everyone in the world were able to decode this ***** just by looking at it that would be infinitely preferable to only Big Brother being able to decode it. - OwdenBowden, on 07/15/2008, -0/+18The Answer is:
(1) Purchase all Printers with Cash.
(2) Never allow the Printer to communicate with the outside electronic world
(3) Never Register the Printer.
(4) If you are really worried - Pick up an old typewriter. - mattrmcg, on 07/15/2008, -0/+18List of printers that may or may not have dots as tested by volunteers or the EFF:
http://www.eff.org/pages/list-printers-which-do-or ... - mfc5200, on 07/15/2008, -4/+22Find out which companies are doing this and which models, and don't buy them. That is the "money talks" free market solution. They want to comply with the government and spy on us? Fine, but it will cost them.
side question: Which telecoms broke the law and asked for immunity. I'm going to cancel my subscription to them now that I think about it if I have an alternative. Anyone know which ones? - Culero, on 07/15/2008, -0/+17like a dot representation of your face?
- LibrarianEtarip, on 07/15/2008, -1/+17They all do it, you're "free market" solution is to not buy a color laser printer
- spiralspirit, on 07/15/2008, -1/+15lol...if the printer outputs them onto any document you print, it certainly is not outside the range of output, is it?
- Tenzy, on 07/15/2008, -1/+15More dots!
- CrazyDave303, on 07/15/2008, -0/+14Oh yea,,, better start printing tons of random yellow dots all over your death threats printed on color printers. :)
- lnxfi, on 07/15/2008, -1/+14Typewriter? If you want them to take you serious, clip letters out of random catalogs and glue them to another paper.
- Audacitor, on 07/15/2008, -0/+13Print your document once, then print multiple blank pages on top of what you just printed (run it through the printer again and tell the computer to print blank pages). The dots get overwritten several times, like writing a song to a CD multiple times. But the paper is ever so slightly differently positioned each time, making for some good obfuscation. Like a CAPTCHA.
- printLn, on 07/15/2008, -0/+12My next excuse for why my assignment was hand written (Those English teachers are trouble).
- CrazyDave303, on 07/15/2008, -1/+13sorry dude... I have noticed these dots with my own eyes coming off the printers like the Xerox DC12. Simple scanning and contrast tricks will make the dots show up clearly to any eye. New printers like the DC240-260, 8000, Igen3 it's a lot harder to pull out the pattern but with a good 16-20bit per channel 1200dpi+ scanner you can pull it out again.
It's as clear as any finger print, and if requested with a warrant Xerox will tell you where the machine is located down to the spot on the floor where it was installed.
edit:
sorry this was a reply to tito12kfm not SRBERUS - inactive, on 07/15/2008, -0/+11Lucky for me, I still write all my extortion notes with an X-Acto knife and magazines.
- theducks, on 07/15/2008, -1/+11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter#Forensic_i ...
- diggadigga, on 07/15/2008, -3/+12"More manufacturers are outfitting greater numbers of laser printers with technology that leaves microscopic yellow dots on each printed page to identify the printer's serial number — and ultimately, you, says the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, one of the leading watchdogs of electronic privacy."
This was my reaction http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m293/davidjungc ... - Evolutuon, on 07/15/2008, -0/+8I've tried to tell people this and they thought I was crazy...
- bamafun, on 07/15/2008, -0/+8great idea =)
- sedo1800, on 07/15/2008, -0/+8ok stop dots
- SeanRoss, on 07/15/2008, -2/+10People still print stuff?
j/k - Idiggapony, on 07/15/2008, -0/+8What if you just buy a black-and-white laser printer? It can't make little yellow dots, right?
- charm803, on 07/15/2008, -0/+8Ah, the typewriter.
Doesn't crash, doesn't transmit info over the internet, doesn't need a plug.......... - keeperofkeys, on 07/15/2008, -3/+11I would digg you up, but you wrote "you're" instead of "your".
- rreadysetno, on 07/15/2008, -0/+8Hi walmart.
- pentalive, on 07/15/2008, -2/+9Because your serial number is registered for you at time of sale.
- 1337d00d, on 07/15/2008, -0/+7*stocks up on correction tape*
- drape, on 07/15/2008, -0/+7Analogically speaking, Big Brother likes to know where his girlfriends have been and what underwear they wear.
- captainanndor, on 07/15/2008, -0/+7Yeah, I was gonna say... for a home user, how do they know who has it and where? What if a parent buys it for their college student? or someone sells it on eBay/Craigslist/whatnot?
How can they track it if its never registered? What if someone buys it with a credit card, installs all the extra bloated ***** that comes with most printers nowadays, registers it, and then it gets stolen and used to print money? No one thinks to report their printer stolen like they would a credit card (though maybe they would to insurance or something), so how do you avoid responsibility there? - theducks, on 07/15/2008, -0/+7No, the printer is electronically encoded with the serial number as well. If the federales come to you house and want to tie your printer to a print out, all they need to do is print another page :)
- GawtMilk, on 07/15/2008, -0/+6tl;dr
- inactive, on 07/15/2008, -0/+6LOL, adding line 0: GOTO 6.
- freddyjackson, on 07/15/2008, -4/+10Simple and economical solution:
1) Buy four monochrome laser printers.
2) Empty the toner from three of the four, refill with cyan, magenta, and yellow toners.
3) Do your color separations, output each channel to the appropriate printer.
4) Hope there aren't registration issues.
5) ???
6) Dig me down. -
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