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The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has recently been spending a lot of time scrutinizing hundreds of printed test sheets mailed in by US citizens. What do they hope to gain from this microscopic examination? A sinister Orwellian conspiracy, naturally. Like sands through the hourglass, so is the privacy of our citizens.
From the site:
Unfortunately, the scenario isn’t fictional. In a purported effort to identify counterfeiters, the US government has succeeded in persuading some color laser printer manufacturers to encode each page with identifying information. That means that without your knowledge or consent, an act you assume is private could become public. A communication tool you’re using in everyday life could become a tool for government surveillance. And what’s worse, there are no laws to prevent abuse.
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While there are clearly many causes for alarm over privacy issues in the world today, isn’t this one bordering on the paranoid? Just because a printed document can be traced to an individual machine doesn’t mean that anyone possesing that document will know who wrote it. And if a person is truly worried that what they print will get traced back to them, all they have to do is pay cash when they buy it so there are no names involved in the transaction. That way the printer’s ‘signature’ will be meaningless. In a world of ‘Patriot Acts’ and RFIDS, microscopic printer id numbers seem to be a very inconsequential issue.
By the way, I just found your site and I love it!
Marius
True, this isn’t the biggest privacy concern in society today, but we mustn’t ignore ANY erosion of privacy, lest it all slip away. These printers do have the potential to land their owners in trouble, even if the printer was purchased in a cash transaction.
Imagine an individual who prints a set of government-critical flyers and distributes them. If an investigating body (police, FBI, CIA, etc) suspect a particular person of this “excessive use of free speech,” they could obtain a search warrant and easily match their documents to the printer.
The US Secret service makes it clear that these codes will only be used in the investigation of “criminal acts,” but the definition of that phrase widens daily at an alarming rate.
Glad you like the site, hope to see you around.
I have to agree with the comment by Marius. I am more concerned with the loss of our freedom that has been forced by the terroist acts done against our country, then by tracing printed pages. Relax, enjoy life and just be aware that others from within and without want to kill us because were are here.
Oddly enough I think that this post should have more comments, basically, I do believe that a famous american somewhere said something to the effect of, ” Any man who gives up any privacy for the feeling of security doesn’t deserve that security” I don’t have a source for it though.
The bottom line is when you give up prvacy to have the safe feeling knowing your government has the ability to inconvenience you for the “better” of the whole, well thats a scary thought. Just think about it for a minute.
Though of course there is arguement of safety versus privacy for terrorism sake, but then again the founding fathers of America did believe that we should have a revoution at least every twenty years or so to keep the government in check, so it wouldn’t get to big to take rights and have the lumbering giant buerocratic ability to impose stupidity like this on its own people. This subject does go alot deeper and I really don’t feel like explaining it anymore. Its a pity
breadstick said: “I have to agree with the comment by Marius. I am more concerned with the loss of our freedom that has been forced by the terroist acts done against our country, then by tracing printed pages. Relax, enjoy life and just be aware that others from within and without want to kill us because were are here.”
exactly what freedoms do you claim to have lost becuase of 9/11 ?????
I wish there were laws to prevent this, but the government makes the laws and it is they who are spying on us @_@
Enter your reply text here. OK
I’ll give the secret service the benefit of the doubt. Other law agencies while doing good, where going through a system reorganization that started months before 9-11. 9-11 occurs and now the weakened CIA and FBI are told to communicate.
If the secret service needs to do paper dotting their work is secret. It’s good to be aware of this information gathering but no reason to fear the government for this situation.
Any fool that wants to know what is happening only needs to run for government office. This is not China. >>>We are the government. Blame our selves.
Shit got erased again!>>>>>We are the government. Blame our selves.
are the government. Blame our selves.
the government. Blame our selves.
our selves.
Enter your reply text here. Sensorship!
it is kinda scary. I’m scared of ending up in a society where “freedom’ is meaningless. (I read 1984, this perfect day, ect at a very impressionable age). However, this isn’t exactly new, old typewritters all had quirks that made it easy enough to trace back to a single typewritter. Of course those quirks weren’t put there on purpose.
Seriously easy answer to this: “Don’t print out your terrorist plans” and “Shred your printed documents if you can”.
Alternatively: “Don’t be doing anything illegal with your time, especially if it involves printing…”
* They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
o This was written by Franklin, with quotation marks but almost certainly his original thought, sometime shortly before February 17, 1775 as part of his notes for a proposition at the Pennsylvania Assembly, as published in Memoirs of the life and writings of Benjamin Franklin (1818). A variant of this was published as:
+ Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
# This was used as a motto on the title page of An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania. (1759); the book was published by Franklin; its author was Richard Jackson, but Franklin did claim responsibility for some small excerpts that were used in it.
o An earlier variant by Franklin in Poor Richard’s Almanack (1738): “Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power.”
o The saying has also appeared in many paraphrased forms:
+ They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither.
He who would trade liberty for some temporary security, deserves neither liberty nor security.
He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither.
People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both.
If we restrict liberty to attain security we will lose them both.
Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither.
Those who would trade in their freedom for their protection deserve neither.
Those who give up their liberty for more security neither deserve liberty nor security.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin