Tracking you by your printer?

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is it true

When you print on a color laser printer, it's likely that you are also printing a pattern of invisible yellow dots. These marks exist to allow the printer companies and governments to track and identify you -- presumably as a way to combat money counterfeiting. When one person asked his printer manufacturer about turning off the tracking dots, Secret Service agents showed up at his door several days later.

http://seeingyellow.com/

That's the end of the shaved bollocks with faces drawn on them i kept sending to Steptoe then:(
 
If it was true, then unless they know who owns the printer, is the information that useful? Though I guess it would be easy enough to find out. And why doesn't the seeingyellow site provide instructions on how to disable tracking for the different printers.

Just been reading up on this - there is quite a lot published which suggests it is true and the code has been tracked. Fascinating stuff. Here is how the code was cracked:

guide.png


The topmost row and leftmost column are a parity row and column for error correction. They help verify that the forensic information has been read accurately (and, if a single dot has been read incorrectly, to identify the location of the error). The rows and columns all have odd parity: that is, every column contains an odd number of dots, and every row (except the topmost row) contains an odd number of dots. If any row or column appears to contain an even number of dots, it has been read incorrectly.

Each column is read top-to-bottom as a single byte of seven bits (omitting the first parity bit); the bytes are then read right-to-left. The columns (which we have chosen to number from left to right) have the following meanings:

* 15: unknown (often zero; constant for each individual printer; may convey some non-user-visible fact about the printer's model or configuration)
* 14, 13, 12, 11: printer serial number in binary-coded-decimal, two digits per byte (constant for each individual printer; see below)
* 10: separator (typically all ones; does not appear to code information)
* 9: unused
* 8: year that page was printed (without century; 2005 is coded as 5)
* 7: month that page was printed
* 6: day that page was printed
* 5: hour that page was printed (may be UTC time zone, or may be set inaccurately within printer)
* 4, 3: unused
* 2: minute that page was printed
* 1: row parity bit (set to guarantee an odd number of dots present per row)

The printer serial number is a decimal number of six or eight digits; these digits are coded two at a time in columns 14, 13, 12, and 11 (or possibly just 13, 12, and 11); for instance, the serial number 00654321 would be coded with column values 00, 65, 43, and 21.
 
Without looking at the website I'd have to say what a crock o' shite!
If these printers are printing invisible dots, how do they know they are yellow?
What about all the other types of printer?
And, more importantly, WHY? WITFP?
 
TUNED IN said:
is it true

When you print on a color laser printer, it's likely that you are also printing a pattern of invisible yellow dots. These marks exist to allow the printer companies and governments to track and identify you --
Click to expand...

i think you've installed too many satellites :D :D :D
 
I have two printers.

Can "they" track these?

print1.jpg
 
If you have a LEXMARK printer it installs a spyware program which sends information regarding your printing to Lexmark, the info contains data re printer cartridges, scanning/copying data (for those with all in one printers) , and is sent with the serial number of the printer concerned.
If you have registered you Lexmark printer this means that the company can trace your individual printer usage and tell if you are using genuine ink cartridges, Lexmark who originally denied that they were collecting any info at all later admitted they were but said that people need not worry:rolleyes: .



http://www.engadget.com/2004/11/12/are-lexmarks-printers-spying-on-you/
 
it's not a matter of tracking is it...

some random friend of my old mum said tesco can track her with the club card... hahahahaha ( they can track what she buys and so send her targetted offers which is already happening)

It's about physical evidence so nextime you chop up someone and rent a wood chipper to do so don't use yer credit card.

Next time you send a threateing letter to tesco if you've used yer printer and they find you, the pattern wll be used evidence.

All crime which involves this sort of investigation is linked, woman disappears, husband stands to get 20million dollars has recently bought chest freezer, chainsaw, tarp, bleach and wood chipper:augie

Major retailer gets a letter from person saying give me 10 million or I'll blow some of your shops up, ex employee of said retailer was over heard moaning about pension, mobile number happens to be the same, computer siezed has info on it how to build pipe bormbe :augie

printer used to printout instructions, was in matey's house and printed sheets where in his shed. Think the defence of saying it was someone else bit thin... also this process will take ages not like shown in CSI everything gets wrapped up in handy 30 min slot plus adverts...:augie

random crime unless it's become a serial event it's hard to trace....

photo copiers also leave trace dots and can be used in same manner... best way to do it is to make stencil set from potatoes then make potatoe soup... or don't do crime cos it's wrong!
 
Why not just print all your text in yellow? Then all the dots would just get lost in all the other yellow dots making up the letters. Or maybe print sunsets in the background....problem solved and you can still send your bomb threats! :augie
 
if your going to do that all you need to look at is the return on investment (ROI)

if you stand to clear 20mil I'm sure that buying say 12 different printers from tescos PC welt, who in the long run are going to pay you back for'em is not a bad deal and so it would in the budget. Use'em a few times then wander around different carboot sales in a different area to where you live and flog'em off one at a time.

jobs a carrott....

As for using a delivery mechanism for the winnings... that's the most complex bit... but i'm sure with the modern methods of electronic banking it could be done...:augie

however I would say an honest days pay for an honest days work is better than 20 years in the slammer :blast

CRIME DOES NOT PAY!
 
Lo-IQ said:
however I would say an honest days pay for an honest days work is better than 20 years in the slammer :blast

CRIME DOES NOT PAY!
Click to expand...

Why do all the pikeys drive around in band spanking new Shoguns etc then huh?? :augie
Of course crime pays...people wouldn't do it otherwise. :cool:
 
For sensitive documents I use a three printer set up, I print one (different) third of the document on each of three different printers. Yellow dots all over the feckin place.
The government has just reopened Bletchley in an attempt to track me down. Keep any nissen huts you have out of sight, they're all being comandeered. ;)
 
Fanum said:
Why do all the pikeys drive around in band spanking new Shoguns etc then huh?? :augie
Of course crime pays...people wouldn't do it otherwise. :cool:
Click to expand...

I got a shogun:augie

it's worse it's an L200 with towbar:augie :augie
 
I work in the printing industry, this has been about for years on digital printers and copiers. Printing just in yellow will not work because any solid area is made up of dots anyway, all it will do is "disguise" the security dots a little more. They are called invisible because such a small amount of yellow is very hard for the human eye to see, but print on coated paper and with a magnifying glass or loupe the dots can be clearly seen.
Also most recentish (5 years or so) colour copiers will recognise bank notes and refuse to copy!
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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