Yellow Dots of Mystery: Is Your Printer Spying on You?

Imagine that every time you print a document, it automatically includes a secret code that could be used to identify the printer -- and, potentially, the person who used it. Sounds like something from a spy movie, right?

Unfortunately, the scenario isn't fictional. Most color laser printers and color copiers are designed to print invisible tracking codes across every single printed page of their output. These codes reveal which machine produced a document and, in some cases, when the document was printed or copied.

For a tutorial on viewing your printer's secret dots, visit http://www.instructables.com/id/Yellow_Dots_of_Mystery_Is_Your_Printer_Spying...

We are grateful for the support of the California Consumer Protection Foundation.

Special thanks to Dan Oberbauer for sound effects.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• printer
• dots
• eff
• public
• service
• announcements
• nonprofit
• privacy

[BrownBootyBruno]

lol, free for only a donation of $5

rofl

[truindep]

i always have the person i kidnap write the note-i hate monkeying about with scissors and glue.

[mrsntbrown]

@vertevero I have replaced the black cartridge 3 times and have never replaced the color cartridge ever. It's been bone dry since I bought the printer at a church auction.

[mrsntbrown]

@vertevero Censors the game itself. And I'm pretty sure I'm not going to jail for printing off where to Honor my Elders.

[vertevero]

@mrsntbrown Also, printing in black and white doesn't stop the yellow dots.

[vertevero]

@mrsntbrown China censors World of Warcraft so there's one government.

[mrsntbrown]

@vertevero Any government. The only things I ever print are coupons and World of Warcraft stuff.

[vertevero]

@mrsntbrown Which government though?

[mrsntbrown]

Ok. First of all I always, always, always print everything in black and white and that is my default setting on my printer. Perhaps I have an old printer without that feature. Whatever. Second, if there was a serial killer, kidnapper or what have you I am glad that this is there so we can find those people and possibly save lives. So yeah... there's that. I don't print anything that I would be concerned about the gov'ment even coming after me about so if you do that's your fault. Just sayin'.

[TheHauntedMouth]

Even if you're not concerned with the privacy of your printouts, this is something to be upset about- they're wasting YOUR outrageously overpriced yellow ink to treat you like a criminal. I've had my printer refuse to print out a black and white document because it was out of yellow ink, and I had no idea why until I saw this. Needless to say, said printer is now in the garbage, and I'll be seeking an older one without this "feature".

[technoslam]

this is why it pays to buy used from from a yardsale

[TheHampdenRaven]

Remove the yellow ink?