👁️ How your printed documents can be traced back to you : OpSec | Torhoo darknet markets
TL; DR - Every time a document is printed, it leaves a footprint that can be used to trace the origin, and potentially, the identity of the person who printed it.
In the 1980s, Xerox and Canon developed technology that allowed color laser printers and copiers to leave a digital watermark on each printed page. This mark, known as a Machine Identification Code (MIC), contains information such as the printer's serial number, date, and time of printing. Its existence was kept secret until 2004, when PCWorld published an article about it. The MIC manifests itself in the form of yellow dots, usually smaller than 1 mm, that are only visible under a microscope or with inverted color or under blue light.
Printer identification is achieved by analyzing the unique characteristics of the printout, such as the ink used, the quality, and the print patterns. Most modern printers print such microscopic dots on the page, which are invisible to the naked eye. These dots can be unique to each printer. Additionally, some printers print an identification code on the page, which can be read by specialized software and contains information about the printer, such as the model and date of manufacture.
The secret printer tracking initiative may have originated as a means to prevent counterfeiting, but it was not limited to this. In fact, government agencies have known from the beginning that secret tracking points had many more uses. Furthermore, this pattern doesn't prevent counterfeiting. Instead, it could be used in the pursuit of criminals and dissidents.
Printer tracking technology is not required by law. There is also no law requiring companies to be transparent about this feature, which can make it difficult to know if your printer has it. One way to check is to use a blue LED light and a magnifying glass to look for yellow dots on the printed page. If these are found, the page is likely traceable back to your printer.
It is worth remembering that almost all current laser printers have some form of steganographic tracking, even if they do not print yellow dots.
One way to avoid MIC is to use old printers that do not use this technology. Some black-and-white inkjet and laser printers do not use MIC, making them a safer option for those looking to protect privacy.
There is an (outdated) list of printers that apparently do not print the MIC:
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https://torhoo.cc/go.php?u=YUhSMGNITTZMeTkzZDNjdVpXWm1MbTl5Wnk5d1lXZGxjeTlzYVhOMExYQnlhVzUwWlhKekxYZG9hV05vTFdSdkxXOXlMV1J2TFc1dmRDMWthWE53YkdGNUxYUnlZV05yYVc1bkxXUnZkSE09#
This other article proposes methods to detect the use of identification patterns in printed documents:
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https://torhoo.cc/go.php?u=YUhSMGNITTZMeTkzZDNjdWFXNXpkSEoxWTNSaFlteGxjeTVqYjIwdldXVnNiRzkzTFVSdmRITXRiMll0VFhsemRHVnllUzFKY3kxWmIzVnlMVkJ5YVc1MFpYSXRVM0I1YVc1bkxXOXVMUzg9#
DEDA toolkit claims to be a tool designed for the detection and anonymization of these tracking points:
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https://torhoo.cc/go.php?u=YUhSMGNITTZMeTluYVhSb2RXSXVZMjl0TDJSbVpDMTBkV1F2WkdWa1lRPT0=#
# SOURCES
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https://torhoo.cc/go.php?u=YUhSMGNITTZMeTkzZDNjdVpXWm1MbTl5Wnk5a1pXVndiR2x1YTNNdk1qQXhOeTh3Tmk5d2NtbHVkR1Z5TFhSeVlXTnJhVzVuTFdSdmRITXRZbUZqYXkxdVpYZHo=#
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https://torhoo.cc/go.php?u=YUhSMGNITTZMeTlrWVc1dWVXUmhMbU52YlM4eU1ESXpMekF5THpBekwzUnlZV05yYVc1bkxXUnZkSE10YVc0dGNISnBiblJsY25NdGJXRmphR2x1WlMxcFpHVnVkR2xtYVdOaGRHbHZiaTFqYjJSbExXMXBZeTFoTFd4cGRIUnNaUzFpYVhRdFlXSnZkWFF0WW1GdWEyNXZkR1Z6TFdGdWRHa3RZMjkxYm5SbGNtWmxhWFJwYm1jdg==#
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https://torhoo.cc/go.php?u=YUhSMGNITTZMeTl4ZWk1amIyMHZNVEF3TWpreU55OWpiMjF3ZFhSbGNpMXdjbWx1ZEdWeWN5MW9ZWFpsTFdKbFpXNHRjWFZwWlhSc2VTMWxiV0psWkdScGJtY3RkSEpoWTJ0cGJtY3RZMjlrWlhNdGFXNHRaRzlqZFcxbGJuUnpMV1p2Y2kxa1pXTmhaR1Z6#
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https://torhoo.cc/go.php?u=YUhSMGNITTZMeTkzZDNjdWJXVnVkR0ZzWm14dmMzTXVZMjl0TDJGeWRHbGpiR1V2TlRBeE9UTTJMM1JvWlhKbGN5MXBiblpwYzJsaWJHVXRkSEpoWTJ0cGJtY3RZMjlrWlMxbGJXSmxaR1JsWkMxa2IyTjFiV1Z1ZEhNdGVXOTFMWEJ5YVc1MA==#
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https://torhoo.cc/go.php?u=YUhSMGNITTZMeTlqWVhOb05IUnZibVZ5Y3k1amIyMHZhWE10ZVc5MWNpMXdjbWx1ZEdWeUxYTndlV2x1WnkxdmJpMTViM1V2#
