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. [McKee] 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?

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