Printer tracking dots
Tracking dots, also known as printer steganography or machine identification codes (MICs), are an often-overlooked yet serious privacy concern. These tiny, nearly invisible markings are added by many color laser printers to every page they print. While originally intended as an anti-counterfeiting measure, they have significant implications for privacy, surveillance, and personal freedoms.
Why Tracking Dots Are Unacceptable
1. Lack of Transparency
One of the most alarming aspects of tracking dots is that they are implemented without the knowledge or consent of users. Manufacturers do not clearly disclose this functionality, leaving individuals unaware that their printed documents contain hidden identifying information.
2. Privacy Violation
These dots encode details such as the printer’s serial number and the exact date and time of printing. This means that documents can be traced back to the specific printer—and potentially the individual—who created them. In an era of increasing digital surveillance, this constitutes a severe breach of privacy.
3. Potential for Abuse
Although originally intended to help law enforcement track counterfeiters, these dots can be exploited for less noble purposes. Authoritarian regimes, corporations, or malicious actors could use them to identify whistleblowers, activists, journalists, or dissidents. Such a system creates risks for those who rely on anonymity for safety.
4. Unregulated and Unaccountable Implementation
There is no public oversight or legal requirement for manufacturers to implement tracking dots, yet they are present in many common printer models. The lack of regulation means users have no recourse to disable this feature.
How Tracking Dots Work
Tracking dots are typically arranged in a barely visible yellow pattern on each printed page. These dots encode:
- The printer’s serial number
- The exact time and date of printing
- Possibly other identifying information
https://www.eff.org/pages/list-printers-which-do-or-do-not-display-tracking-dots
https://web.archive.org/web/20180305181029/https://w2.eff.org/Privacy/printers/docucolor/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printer_tracking_dots
https://www.eff.org/issues/printers
http://dasalte.ccc.de/colorcopy/
https://web.archive.org/web/20170313130611/http://dasalte.ccc.de/colorcopy/