Something else to get paranoid about!

[RichardL]

Hi Folks,

http://www.instructables.com/id/Yellow- ... /?ALLSTEPS

Cheers,
RichardL

[IdeasVacuum]

Fascinating!

[davido]

eff! I'll have to use yellow paper.

[netmaestro]

That's been in existence for quite some years now. The need for it became apparent not long after good-quality color laser printers became cheap enough for the masses and people started trying to counterfeit everything from money to prescriptions. Also law enforcement likes it because it helps identify the sender of an anonymous threat or fraud attempt. It's a good thing overall imho, for those of us who are law-abiding and don't send anonymous letters. My approach would be, if you can't stand behind it, don't send it.

[skywalk]

The danger here, as always, is the unintended(or not) consequences of a government's actions. Under the guise of catching criminals or threat mongerers, you are also tracking anonymous whistle blowers and/or critics. It is an evil breach of freedom and leads to the persecution of individuals simply for disagreeing with their authorities.

[Zebuddi123]

@skywalk +1

To true, in the not so far dystopian future when we are all embedded with nsa/google/ms/apple biochips, even our methane trails will be embedded with some form of encrypted id. and thereafter TAXED for so called AGW

" John Spartan you are fined 50 credits for breach of the AGW methane code NWO 2037 "



Zebuddi.

[IdeasVacuum]

Good point SkyWalk.

[netmaestro]

anonymous whistle blowers and/or critics

Two words: 'dot' 'matrix'. Or buy non-networked printers used and pay cash. Or use the old tried-and-true cutting words out of the newspaper and pasting them to a page.

[Kuron]

Two words: 'dot' 'matrix'. Or buy non-networked printers used and pay cash. Or use the old tried-and-true cutting words out of the newspaper and pasting them to a page.

Dot matrix printers are too easy to trace. The pins on each print head literally leave a unique fingerprint on anything they print just due to the way the technology works.

Stick to the newspaper/magazine text clippings. However, do not glue them to copier paper or printer paper. Use kid's construction paper or a really cheap grade of kid's drawing/art paper as these currently do not contain things that make the paper itself easier to trace.

[Joakim Christiansen]

So that's why I keep refilling yellow...

[PB]

> So that's why I keep refilling yellow

Nice one!

Seriously though, this is all much ado about nothing.
Say I print a death threat to someone. The feds go
ahead and scan it. All they see is the model number
and date/time of print. How will that identify me out
of a million other printer users in the world? Duh.

[netmaestro]

The printer is fully identified by serial# in the code. That serial can be traced to a buyer in some cases but where it's most likely to be useful is when an investigation into a suspect gets underway using normal investigative techniques and that person's computing equipment gets taken on a warrant. If it has the serial they're looking for, they get the evidence they need. It's kind of like dna in that respect, most people's dna isn't on file anywhere but if conventional law enforcement methods turn up a suspect, they can compare him.

[PB]

Okay, I see how that would work. But like an IP address, it only identifies
a printer... not the actual person who was using it. They can't just arrest
someone because the printer was in their home, any more than an IP
address proves who was using the computer at the time. I guess they're
hoping that the person making the threat doesn't know that.

[Edit] Also, it's pretty easy to set a scheduled task to print a document
while you're out for the evening... so you'll have an alibi to avoid being
charged.

[Kuron]

When you buy your printer and register it, your serial number is indeed on file with the company. When your printer software (or OS) seeks out updates for your printer driver, it is also entirely possible that your serial number is being sent at that time.

If the police want to know who printed something, they simply contact the printer company who will usually give such information without a warrant. Once the police knows who owns the printer and their address, they can get a warrant to seize the computer as evidence, along with any and all computers, software, and other computer accessories and mobile phones.

[Danilo]

If you ever wrote and sent an official letter with your address on it, by using your printer,
government and NSA may already have your printer serial number in their database
associated with you.
For crime investigation they just check the database, and if your serial number is in there
already, they will catch you within hours by using your official address in addition to
mobile phone tracking. They have every SMS message and eMail you every wrote, and they may
have access to your teeth profile and your whole etiopathology from your health insurance company.
They know where you live and lived before, how much money you make officially and how much taxes
you ever paid.
They even have a photo of me in their database. They request a new picture of me every few years,
when I need a new passport and identity card. Sometimes they take a picture of you when traveling to
other countries!

Take care and better stay clean!