Yes, your printer is spying on you -- EFF cracks Xerox printer fingerprinting code

You probably already know that your printer may be secretly outputting hidden data to allow investigators to track you by magnifying and decrypting the info. Now, you can find out what info is being shared. The Electronic Frontier Foundation commissioned a study to decode a series of dots that appear on pages printed by the Xerox DocuColor laser printer. With the help of a microscope and a trusty blue LED (see, those things are useful for something other than mods), the EFF researchers were able to reveal a grid of yellow dots that provide information about the date the printout was made, as well as the printer's serial number. Is your printer tracking you? If you've got a DocuColor and a microscope (or a powerful magnifying glass), you can decrypt your dots via the EFF's web site. If you've got another printer, you can send in paper samples for them to add to their research database. In the meantime, don't assume that anonymous letter blowing the whistle on your employer's nefarious deeds or a politician's leak of a CIA agent's name can't be traced back to you.

[Via hack a day]

[ericthebikeman @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Unless I still have an old epson daisy wheel printer. The thing was made in '83, I doubt anyone managed to covertly add a traceable serial to the typeface.

[Dave Zatz @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Man, if that ain�t disconcerting. I had naively dismissed the rumors�

[Matthew Lewis @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

w00t! 2nd!

Kewl. Sucks tho.

[jennifer kind @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

This has to be the creepiest thing I've read online in a while! LOL

[Johnny Chimpo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Nothing new here. This finger printing has been around for as long as I've worked in the office products industry. (over 10 years at a competitor to big X)

It's no secret at all in this business that all color printers and copiers implement this to prevent counterfeiting, most people in the business can even tell you what's encoded on the page.

Thanks, EFF, for uncovering what could be found out with a phone call.

[Smucker @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

a politician�s leak of a CIA agent�s name can�t be traced back to you.


Looks like AOL's corporate agenda has made its way down the ranks already. lol Just joshing you Engadget, just joshing.

[tcup @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

#4: Wait a second, there's a phone number out there that translates hidden data on print outs? Sweet! Gimmie please.

They didn't just discover that hidden code exists, they did a little bit more than that.

[Jack @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Now, the task is to figure out how to spoof these dots.

[EatingPie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Note to self: Buy next printer with cash, give fake name / address to retailer.

-Pie

[Johnny Chimpo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

#6, what I said was that this info isn't a state secret. You can talk to nearly any manufacturers tech and find out what information is in the code, and how the code is printed. From there it's basic math skills to reverse engineer it.

It's been around for a decade. It's been public knowledge for a decade. And it's been cracked and spoofed before. Nothing new here at all.

Reading comprehension > you

[Urza9814 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

#1: "I had naively dismissed the rumors�"

Rumors??? It was coming from the EFF! They had pictures of it! They had LOTS of proof! Rumors???

[Jason @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Maybe public knowledge, but most certainly not common knowledge. I guarantee that the average consumer doesn't know about this. Props to the EFF for raising awareness about this invasion of privacy.

[bpd1069 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

you think this is something..

RFID tags+all tires sold+new road construction on most US interstates=
DHS can track just about every car that travels any meaniful distance in the US.

[Kaleberg @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Wow, this brings back the good old days of the Soviet Union with that typewriter database they used to crack down on samizdat dissidents. I suppose those guys had to go to work somewhere. The carbon paper police are probably at the RIAA now.

[Rusty @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

same as #7's post. Nothing new here. I've been
in the office machine business as a tech since 81, mostly with Toshiba. All of our color products have had "fingerprinting" yellow dots. They even show them to us in the tech schools. No big deal,
unless you are trying to counterfit something, and the machines have technology for that. Attempt to print "money" at 76%-151% of the orginal size, and the machine either locks up, displaying a code which requires the manufacturer to make a site visit to unlock, or will produce a blank copy until you turn it off and back on.

[Bob S. @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Eric in #3: Forensics experts have long been able to trace letter-quality and dot-matrix output. Not really any harder than a typewriter. Sure, if you buy a new daisy wheel, open and install it while wearing gloves, print something, and smash the daisy wheel into little bits and dispose of them in a number of locations over a week or two, you'll probably get away with it. Let us know how that goes for you.

[Rusty Shackleford @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I have it on good authority that agents of the Government are reading these comments right now so please be careful what you write.




"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell.

[Chris Masiello @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

That's an amazing technological innovation. Now, if they could just develop a lazer printer that would stay warmed up and not jam every time i send a quick sneaky copy of my resume to it, that would be incredible.
Maybe that's why I have to pay $35 for 10 cents worth of ink... to pay for all of that hi-tech R&D.

[Joe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I was aware of that there were ways to track back, but I find this very disturbing. I at least did not think there were serial numbers on the page. It was already difficult to remain anonymous. I mean you should still have the ability to remain anonymous if you want to print out a pamphlet or some other political document with a different view without having to go to extra lengths. I guess there is almost nothning one can do these days anonymously.

[Rocket Punch @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Ha! I knew it! Thats why I still use magazine cut out letters to compose death threats to my in-laws.........................I mean.... I know a guy who knows a guy did.

[medecau @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

#22 The way you cut the paper from the magazine leaves marks that can be traced back to your shears..

[drwuzer @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

#23, Wow, this is nuts, its getting to be that the average crook and serial killer can't even do his job these days without the man breathing down his neck.

You're going to see a lot more of these people on unemployment lines as a result of this....

[Tim @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Would you conspiracy theorists take a pill. There is such a thing as counterfeiting and it does REAL damage to the economy you live in. Unless you want to carry around bales full of bills to buy a loaf of bread I suggest you shut the fuck up.

[Minneapolis Dan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

First I print my Documents , then I take them to Staples to be copied, then I take those copies to Kinko's. I use the second copy and burn the original. I handle everything using ltex gloves lined with a non-petroleum jell. so when they turn the gloves inside out looking for prints, there are none. All the lights in my house are from blue LED. I also inspect my car muffler for bananas before I start it.

[Chadwick Ferguson @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Wow, who would have thought? Is it only Xerox though, is there a list of products with this? Boycott them. Show the governent we like our rights. I'm glad I use HP, I'll be sad if they have the same technology.

[Phil @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I think you will find that HP do infact have a similar fingerprint system. And besides it's no big deal you didn't have a problem before you knew about it so nothing has changed and you don't even use a xerox! so unless you ARE being a dodgey bastard and photocopying/printing money and the like to use instead of the real thing then get over it! There are much bigger things in life to worry about.

In reply to #17 the docucolor 1250's counterfeit money protection doesn't work so well as we tested it when we first got ours. It refuses to print when you have money on in portrait but when you change it to landscape it prints fine and does a pretty darn good replication of it too. However when we tried printing scanned money with our docucolor 8000 it refused to print. (just a note that we were not printing mass amounts of money just a couple of test sheets which were all destroyed immediately.)

[Johnny Chimpo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

#27: You can be assured that any color copying product (and probably most color printing products) from EVERY major manufacturer has this built in. HP, Lexmark, Canon, Xerox, Toshiba, Sharp, KonicaMinolta, and Kyocera-Mita all use some form of it, I've seen it in our competetive product lab.

So, I guess you should burn all of your electronics and move to a small shack in Montana. Don't forget a foil hat.

[Michael @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Wow! Such an effort to make people who value their privacy out to look like crackpots! Why the anger and hostility? By your arguments, the government should be able to put video cameras in every room in your home and record your every phone call and conversation -- because, as several posters have ridiculously declared -- if you're not doing anything illegal, then you have nothing to hide! What a bunch of brainwashed idiots.