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EFF reveals codes in Xerox printers
NEW YORK (AP) -- Just because a document from a color laser printer
doesn't carry your name doesn't mean no one can trace it back to you,
privacy advocates warn.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation says it has cracked the tracking
codes embedded in Xerox Corp.'s DocuColor color laser printers. Such
codes are just one way that manufacturers employ technology to help
governments fight currency counterfeiting.
"Underground democracy movements ... will always need the anonymity of
simple paper documents, but this technology makes it easier for
governments to find dissenters," said Lee Tien, EFF senior staff
attorney. "Even worse, it shows how the government and private
industry make backroom deals to weaken our privacy by compromising
everyday equipment like printers."
Researchers found patterns of yellow dots arranged in 15 by 8 grids
and printed repeatedly over every color page, said Seth Schoen, a
staff technologist at the San Francisco-based civil-liberties group.
The dots are visible only with a magnifying glass or under blue light,
which causes the yellow dots to appear black.
By analyzing test pages printed out by supporters worldwide and by
staffers at various FedEx Kinko's locations, researchers found that
some of the dots correspond to the printers' serial numbers. Other
dots refer to the date and time of the printing.
Xerox spokesman Bill McKee would not provide details about the
technology. He said the company "does not routinely share any
information about its customers," though it does respond to requests
from law enforcement...
The EFF is now studying other printers from well-known manufacturers
with similar tracking codes...
Adobe Systems Inc. has acknowledged quietly adding the government
software to its Photoshop software at the request of regulators and
international bankers.
But David Skidmore, a spokesman at the Federal Reserve Board, said
that the technology, known as the Counterfeit Deterrence System, was
aimed mostly at personal computers and ink-jet printers - not the
high-end machines like DocuColor.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Just because a document from a color laser printer
doesn't carry your name doesn't mean no one can trace it back to you,
privacy advocates warn.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation says it has cracked the tracking
codes embedded in Xerox Corp.'s DocuColor color laser printers. Such
codes are just one way that manufacturers employ technology to help
governments fight currency counterfeiting.
"Underground democracy movements ... will always need the anonymity of
simple paper documents, but this technology makes it easier for
governments to find dissenters," said Lee Tien, EFF senior staff
attorney. "Even worse, it shows how the government and private
industry make backroom deals to weaken our privacy by compromising
everyday equipment like printers."
Researchers found patterns of yellow dots arranged in 15 by 8 grids
and printed repeatedly over every color page, said Seth Schoen, a
staff technologist at the San Francisco-based civil-liberties group.
The dots are visible only with a magnifying glass or under blue light,
which causes the yellow dots to appear black.
By analyzing test pages printed out by supporters worldwide and by
staffers at various FedEx Kinko's locations, researchers found that
some of the dots correspond to the printers' serial numbers. Other
dots refer to the date and time of the printing.
Xerox spokesman Bill McKee would not provide details about the
technology. He said the company "does not routinely share any
information about its customers," though it does respond to requests
from law enforcement...
The EFF is now studying other printers from well-known manufacturers
with similar tracking codes...
Adobe Systems Inc. has acknowledged quietly adding the government
software to its Photoshop software at the request of regulators and
international bankers.
But David Skidmore, a spokesman at the Federal Reserve Board, said
that the technology, known as the Counterfeit Deterrence System, was
aimed mostly at personal computers and ink-jet printers - not the
high-end machines like DocuColor.
