Gov Uses Color Laser Printer Technology to Track Documents

[Rob Lister]

Warning: Turn on your skeptimeter before reading this article. If you don't have one, you can rent one from JREF at a very reasonable price.

snip:
WASHINGTON--Next time you make a printout from your color laser printer, shine an LED flashlight beam on it and examine it closely with a magnifying glass. You might be able to see the small, scattered yellow dots printer there that could be used to trace the document back to you.

link:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1093&u=/pcworld/118664&printer=1

Which parts are likely true?
Which parts are likely false?

[thatguywhojuggles]

Another source:
http://www.vortex.com/privacy/priv.08.18

[Diogenes]

Nothing tripping my skeptimeter here... ( I'm in the printer repair industry )


I'm sure it's possible but not very reliable..

The electronics in the printer that would make this happen, are replaced all the time. While it is possible and advisable ( for service history reasons ) to re-program the printer electronics with the serial number, it is often not done.
Besides being all-zeros, it could very well contain the serial number of another printer, if it has been repaired with recycled parts.

Serious counterfeiters will make sure the serial number information will not lead back to them. Particulary the ones who read this article.