Don't print that ransom letter on your laser printer, the government can track you.

[Rich]

Interesting shit. They should probably tell customers about this.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...8664&printer=1


Government Uses Color Laser Printer Technology to Track Documents

WASHINGTON--Next time you make a printout from your color laser printer, shine an LED flashlight beam on it and examine it closely with a magnifying glass. You might be able to see the small, scattered yellow dots printer there that could be used to trace the document back to you.

According to experts, several printer companies quietly encode the serial number and the manufacturing code of their color laser printers and color copiers on every document those machines produce. Governments, including the United States, already use the hidden markings to track counterfeiters.

Peter Crean, a senior research fellow at Xerox, says his company's laser printers, copiers and multifunction workstations, such as its WorkCentre Pro series, put the "serial number of each machine coded in little yellow dots" in every printout. The millimeter-sized dots appear about every inch on a page, nestled within the printed words and margins.

"It's a trail back to you, like a license plate," Crean says.

Who knew. Anyone have an LED light and a magnifying glass handy?

[detoxed]

Well first they have to know that you own that printer, so you have to have bought it with a credit card or something.

[Rich]

Lorelei Pagano, a counterfeiting specialist with the U.S. Secret Service, stresses that the government uses the embedded serial numbers only when alerted to a forgery. "The only time any information is gained from these documents is purely in [the case of] a criminal act," she says.


The industry absolutely has been extraordinarily helpful [to law enforcement]," Pagano says.

According to Pagano, counterfeiting cases are brought to the Secret Service, which checks the documents, determines the brand and serial number of the printer, and contacts the company. Some, like Xerox, have a customer database, and they share the information with the government.

Crean says Xerox and the government have a good relationship. "The U.S. government had been on board all along--they would actually come out to our labs," Crean says.

[Doctor Dre]

Some guys got caught in europe couple months ago because of that

[Rich]

Originally posted by detoxed
Well first they have to know that you own that printer, so you have to have bought it with a credit card or something.

That's true, or a bank card, or a check, or with cash at a nearly every electronics store I can think of which take all your personal information when you make a purchase. So basically 95%+ of all printers sold.

[azguy]

Originally posted by Rich
That's true, or a bank card, or a check, or with cash at a nearly every electronics store I can think of which take all your personal information when you make a purchase. So basically 95%+ of all printers sold.

It's not that simple. They will trace it back to the store and know exactly when it was purchased. IF they're lucky, they will have a video of you walking out with it. Then they will use the ATM camera that is located at the front of the store to trace you back to your car, and hopefully with it taking a shot every 10 seconds, they will get you after reading your license plate number from 2 miles away. CSI rocks!

[psyko514]

They did something like this is CSI last week

[bignasty]

Originally posted by detoxed
Well first they have to know that you own that printer, so you have to have bought it with a credit card or something.

actually your credit card may not necesarily connect you to that serial number, what you think those registration cards are for?

[nofx]

thats pretty fucked up. glad I dont have a laser printer.

[Paul Waters]

Maybe the old ways are best.

Cut letters out of the newspaper and glue them to the paper.

[Rich]

Originally posted by azguy
It's not that simple. They will trace it back to the store and know exactly when it was purchased. IF they're lucky, they will have a video of you walking out with it. Then they will use the ATM camera that is located at the front of the store to trace you back to your car, and hopefully with it taking a shot every 10 seconds, they will get you after reading your license plate number from 2 miles away. CSI rocks!

Why wouldn't the store have your name on file as the guy who bought that printer? Every time I've made a purchase at a major electronics store... Future Shop, Best Buy, etc etc, they've taken my information (or just my phone number and they already have my information). What makes you think they would have to find you on camera?

[kenny]

Big brother always watching

The technology excist where they can do much more then that

[Rich]

Originally posted by psyko514
They did something like this is CSI last week

Oh ok, that's what azguy was talking about.

[Vitasoy]

Damn spies! Glad I don't have a laser printer