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Author Topic: "Big Brother" knows when you print! Jennifer Pan THE JEN! Posts: 1219 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: Nov 2003 posted 12-08-2005 01:19 AM                        Supposedly this is to help catch counterfeiters. Apparently, the Secret Service has made deals with a few laser printer manufacturing companies to include special dot codes on the paper to know the date, time, and serial number of the printer you printed from. http://www.eff.org/Privacy/printers/docucolor/  |  IP: Logged Kyle McEachern Expert Film Handler Posts: 165 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Feb 2004 posted 12-08-2005 01:53 AM                 Earlier thread on this topic Edit: using the algorithm on the EFF page, the image posted last year by Adam Wilbert (on 11-27-2005) contains the following code (according to them): Printer serial number: 053166 [or 00053166] Date: November 28, 2004 Time: 00:52 Column 15 value: 0 The message was posted on November 27, 2004, but that's still pretty durned close.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 12-08-2005 05:42 PM                        I remember the thread on the 'laser printer CAP code' and still wonder if the code can be read reliably from a faxed, photocopied or scanned and emailed duplicate of the original printout. Given that we're talking individual pixels, I suspect not, and that the investigator would need to have the original document in order to get the code off it.  |  IP: Logged

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