"HarryKrause" wrote in message
...
July 30, 2005 12:27 PM PDT
EFF probes printer watermarks

Color laser printers print hidden data that lets law enforcement agencies
tell which printer was used and when, according to the Electronic Frontier
Foundation. The EFF on Thursday sent a freedom of information act request
to the U.S. Secret Service in an attempt to get details on the tracing
feature, which the group says impacts the privacy of users.

Do you think the printer manufacturers designed these things at the behest
of the government? Or are they just the trails left by a particular design,
in the same way a not-so-old Chrysler mini-van smells like a 30 year old
pickup that's never had its oil changed?