Your Printer is Spying on You!
There are several printer companies that are encoding the serial number and the manufacturing code of their color laser printers and color copiers on every document they produce. These markings are used by government, the U.S. included, to track counterfeiters. Xerox, for example, prints the serial number of each machine coded in little yellow dots on every printout. Most companies use the same combination of tiny yellow dots on white paper - so it’s invisible to the naked eye. If you want to see if your printer is using this tracking process, then shine a blue LED light (like a keychain laser) on your page and use a magnifying glass.
Lexmark takes printer tracking a step further. Some of their printers’ software monitors your printer usage, creates a log file at c:\program_files\lexmark500, and then sends that information off to Lexmark. Lexmark claims that printer output and cartridge usage for "survey purposes"…whatever that means.
We really do live in a "big brother" world now, don’t we. Everyone is being tracked, tagged, and monitored online these days. From tracking cookies, to adware, to spyware, and even possibly having your printer telling on you, there is no anonymity online. Your IP address flags your location. Your email is scanned by the NSA for keywords like "terrorist" or "assassination." Your company may be tracking your web usage. Your domain listing has your contact name and phone listed. Data recovery tools can retrieve files from hard drives wiped clean. People need to realize that just because you are on the net, it does not mean that you are anonymous. Seriously…even your printer knows what you’re up to!
Sources: PCWorld, Broadband Reports
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Good grief, this is the first I’ve heard of this Orwellian twist. Do you know if HP printers do the same? I have their newest Deskjet.
I think it’s more lasers than deskjets since it’s lasers that would be used to conterfeit things….
Heard about this a few months back… Just one more reason to never buy a printer for myself.
Has anybody checked this out?
Xerox was quoted saying “we only go after counterfeiters”, then said “we basically print it on every page.” I’m trying to look at some legal papers I had printed at Kinko’s recently (they all use Xerox lasers). If anybody happens to find something, maybe they will scan their paper and post it online?
Someone did:
link