(2005-10-20) Secret Printer Fingerprint Codes

The EFF has identified (and in some cases already cracked) unique identifier codes placed on pages printed from my standard Laser Printer-s (HP, etc.). Xerox spokesman Bill Mc Kee confirmed the existence of the hidden codes, but he said the company was simply assisting an agency that asked for help. Mc Kee said the program was part of a cooperation with government agencies, competing manufacturers and a "consortium of banks," but would not provide further details... Schoen said that the existence of the encoded information could be a threat to people who live in repressive governments or those who have a legitimate need for privacy. It reminds him, he said, of a program the Soviet Union once had in place to record sample typewriter printouts in hopes of tracking the origins of underground, self-published literature. "It's disturbing that something on this scale, with so many privacy implications, happened with such a tiny amount of publicity," Schoen said. Transparent Society, Open Society?