Laser Printers Contain Government Tracking Codes

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The only thing I could think of would be if you anonymously send a letter (to a person or newspaper). However, for that letter to cause a criminal investigation (which in turn would mean police could compare your printer with the marks on the letter), its contents would need to be sufficiently illegal or threatening to warrant such action. In which case I'd be all for them tracing the author down.

Suppose the letter had been submitted to a quality broadsheet (A La Sarah Tinsdale and The Guardian, back in the 1980's), by a 'whistleblower' who was revealing dirty tricks by a government department? Is it necessary or approrpriate for whistleblowers to be put at risk?

I strongly suspect that if a problem comes up through technology, then very often technology can be used to solve that problem. All it requires is for some laser printer manufacturers to offer products which do not afford unelected and unacountable officials the ability to snoop on private correspondence.

As regards irrational concerns over "what will they think of next", I would tend generally to agree. However, a pervasive, widespread accumulation of fine-grained personal data achieves a kind of 'critical mass' which, when combined with ever more efficient searching/sifting/sorting/data-mining algorithms and procedures will yield results which are not necessarily easy to predict.

You are right about the focus of my concern being on centralised databases, rather than a specific, ostensibly hidden 'data capture' method, though these centralised databases are fed with information that is accumulated 'on the ground', so to speak.

The suggestion that we should be fearful of Pen & Paper is interesting, though somewhat misplaced. An entry in a paper-based file (though arguably dangerous in its own right), does not have the scope and 'reach' that something retrieved rapidly, from anywhere in the world has. There is a tangibly qualitative as well as quantitative shift in emphasis.

Since the technology only links the printer and the printed material (as opposed to the person with the printed material), they would need some sort of warrant to access the whistleblower's home, and confiscate the printer.

I could see the potential problems if there was a central database linking every piece of printed material with the name and address of the person whose printer it was printed on (because of the potential for abuse, since you can look up this data without having to actually physically check the printer, which would require a warrant of sorts), but not with the way this is described in the article.

I think it was, I could not find any duplication....just had to say this...and I looked could not find any though.

Records are kept by Windows of all URLS that one has visited since installation - its IMPOSSIBLE to remove them! The various programs that claim to be able to do so don't. Any attempt to remove the records results in "secret" copies being made before removal.

I find this useful when I want to find a site I visited 5 years ago.

Where have you been? The Patriot act allows searches of homes without telling the owners.

As far as the government "tracking" things with printers, "watching you" on the internet, or what ever. Put your minds at ease: the amount of man-power to go through even computer sorted documents is far beyond anything even our government will do..... However, if a person is suspected of engaging in treason, terrorist acts, or supporting those that so, those folks CAN be watched. The investigations that target kiddie-porn, bomb-making sites, and VILOENT oppisition of the government some times net those that make many hits on those sites. That is a FACT.

The Patroit act isnt so Big Brother can snoop into the homes of the average joe. It does requre the average joe to have identivication verified when opening bank accounts, applying for HAZ-Mat licences, law enforcement and goevernment jobs, etc. But most places were already doing that.
Now as far as the Government getting into ones house with out your knowledge.... Here is how that works: Acording to the Public Law 107-56 (also known as the Patirot Act) sect 213, a warrent may be issued and carried out with out prior concent if the issuing judge agrees that prior notice will hamper the investigation. Notice must then be given in a reasonable amount of time that the warrent was carried out. this applies to those that are suspected to be terrorists, support or protect terrorists...

In other words, the average person, like you and me, arent going to ever see this law used aginst us. That is unless you are trolling around with known terrorists.... that might getyou looked at.
Most of the patirot act is dealing with tracing bank records, money laundering, and redefining some of the other laws already on the books so that they include computer crimes, and specific statue of limitations on specific crimes that apply to terrorists (forgin and domestic). There are provisions for first responders, law enforcement, and victums of terror as well. But if you dont believe me, take the time to read the law.
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=107_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ056.107.pdf
I did. Sure some things were alittle shaky, and yes as with all laws, loop holes DO exist.
But if you are the average citizen, and not breaking any laws, there really isnt anything to worry about.

Want to worry about rights being invaded? Think about the job apps you put in. Companies, CAN and DO, run your credit report and use it as a determining factor in the hireing process.....