Thought you all should know....

[Dustin Navea]

To the PC reporters and journalists that this email gets sent to, this 
should probably be sent to people on your lists, pending further 
research on your part.  I got this from the EFF (for those that dont 
know, thats the Electronic Frontires Foundation, the guys that monitor 
your privacy), and for those that dont care, just delete this..  I just 
figured you all should know..

---Contents of the message below---

* Is Your Printer Spying On You?

Help EFF Watch the Watchers

Imagine that every time you printed a document, it
automatically included a secret code that could be used
to identify the printer - and potentially, the person
who used it.  Sounds like something from an episode of
"Alias," right?

Unfortunately, the scenario isn't fictional.  In an
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.

The ACLU recently issued a report revealing that the
FBI has amassed more than 1,100 pages of documents on
the organization since 2001, as well as documents
concerning other non-violent groups, including
Greenpeace and United for Peace and Justice.  In the
current political climate, it's not hard to imagine the
government using the ability to determine who may have
printed what document for purposes other than
identifying counterfeiters.

Yet there are no laws to stop the Secret Service -
or for that matter, any other governmental agency or
private company - from using printer codes to secretly
trace the origin of non-currency documents.  We're
unaware of any printer manufacturer that has a
privacy policy that would protect you, and no law
regulates what people can do with the information
once it's turned over.  And that doesn't even reach
the issue of how such a privacy-invasive tool
could be developed and implemented in printers
without the public becoming aware of it in the
first place.

With nothing on the books, we lack tools to stop the
privacy and anonymity violations this technology
enables.  For this reason, EFF is gathering information
about what printers are revealing and how - a necessary
precursor to any legal challenge or new legislation
to protect your privacy.  And we could use your help.

In the preliminary research paper linked below, we
explain what we've observed so far, briefly explore
the privacy implications, and ask you to print and
send us test sheets from your color laser printer
and/or a color laser printer at your local print shop.
That way, we can watch the watchers and ensure that
your privacy isn't compromised in ways that harm your
fundamental constitutional rights.

In addition to documenting what printers are revealing,
EFF is filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request,
and we will keep you updated on what we discover.  In
the meantime, we urge you to participate in this
research project and pass the word along.  Thank you for
your support!

EFF paper: "Investigating Machine Identification Code
Technology in Color Laser Printers":
<http://www.eff.org/Privacy/printers/wp.php>

Directions for printing test sheets:
<http://www.eff.org/Privacy/printers/wp.php#testsheets>

PC World: "Government Uses Color Laser Printer Technology
to Track Documents":
<http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,118664,00.asp>

ACLU: "FBI Is Keeping Documents on ACLU and Other
Peaceful Groups":
<http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=18784&c=206>