22 August 2008

Tracking Dots Raise Laser Printer Privacy Concerns

John Sterlicchi,

Leading printer companies are still using secret tracking dots which can identify which laser printer printed a document despite consistent concern from privacy organizations.

The printer companies say the use of the dots – almost-invisible-to-the-eye yellow dots on each printed page to identify the printer's serial number – is part of a concerted US-government sponsored effort to deter counterfeiters but organizations such as privacy watchdog, the Electronic Freedom Foundations sees sinister uses of the technology.

As laser printers become more popular questions abound about invasions of privacy.

“Having printer dots secretly scattered on everything you print, which indelibly connect your printout to the printer it came from, and even the time and date it was printed, is a major privacy violation, wherever you are,” said Danny O’Brien, international outreach coordinator at the EFF.

“It's even worse when those printers are being used by dissidents in authoritarian regimes. Wasn't the printing press supposed to spread freedom, not automatically finger enemies of the state?”

Recent tests by the EFF found the dots produced by 111 color laser printers made by 13 companies including Xerox, Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Epson and Brother.

For more than 20 years, in a printing industry wide initiative, Xerox has consulted with the US Secret Service and the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence Group, a consortium of banks from 27 countries to assess threats to currency and promote and support the use of anti-counterfeiting technologies by manufacturers, said company spokesman Bill McKee.

“For as long as there has been currency, there have been counterfeiters,” he said. “Many customers seek the protection of counterfeit detection, particularly banking and financial institutions.”

McKee added that for security reasons he was not able to discuss the details of the technology but added the tracking dots are primarily a feature of the "high-end" color products.

With laser printer prices falling rapidly no doubt such machines will be seen in homes and small offices, but Angele Boyd, an analyst at research company, IDC, specializing in the output arena, said she does not see the tracking dots as constraining sales of imaging/printing devices.

“We've reached a point where so much customer information is sold to third parties that most people have resigned themselves to this fact of life personally and professionally,” she said. IDC is forecasting that the worldwide digital hardcopy device market, which totaled 136.2 million devices shipped valued at $63.1 billion last year will grow to 149.8 million devices valued at $65.0 billion by 2011.

Boyd did query whether there was a way to work around the privacy issue. “I do wonder, however, if the dots can be removed when hard drive erase on an imaging/printing device is invoked,” she said.

Xerox spokesman McKee wouldn’t comment. “Sorry - but for security reasons, I cannot discuss the details of the technology,” he said.

While there has been no concern from US politicians about the tracking dots, the issue was raised at the more privacy conscious EU when Satu Hassi, Green Member of European Parliament for Finland, asked in a written question whether the European Commission was aware of any legal framework or obligations in Community law or national legislation relative to the use of these tracking mechanisms?
In reply Commissioner Frattini said that while the Commission could not uncover a specific law against the dots themselves, adding that “such processing may give rise to the violation of fundamental human rights, namely the right to privacy and private life. It also might violate the right to protection of personal data."
No further action has been taken.

EFF’s O’Brien called for transparency and accountability. “This is a government-driven project. Printer manufacturers have voluntarily complied, and voluntarily withheld information from their own customers. There is no transparency, and no accountability. There should be.”

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