Now that we know about colour printers adding dot patterns to every printout, no one is safe from revealing their identity when they create a printed document. (see link)

Add The Dots is a few lines of simple code that you can use to alter the firmware on your printer. It's intended for use by those who are worried about being spied on. Add The Dots does two things:
1 It finds and subtly alters the programme code that generates the identification dots built in to the printer's firmware, creating a new identity from its database of authenticated people and linked addresses.
2 It can also add sets of extra dots to every print out, and in so doing totally confound anyone trying to read the hidden information.

This page was created by Mobile Richard from 17a Sandy Row, Kinsalla
-- xenzag, Sep 14 2019

The dots who know everything http://www.bbc.com/...ecret-tracking-dots
[xenzag, Sep 14 2019]

There are a small number of suppliers who sell non-coded laser printers. I'm not sure it will be possible to alter the dot- pattern of existing printers if it's stored in firmware, but perhaps it would be. The option of confounding the coding by adding sufficiently dense dots in a different pattern, though, ought to work unless the printer's firmware is smart enough to avoid confounding the real dots. (Modern printers and scanners are pretty smart, for example they will recognize common currencies and refuse to scan or print them.)
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 14 2019


My initial idea was to add more dots, but if you sent several documents a pattern would emerge if 'your' page with the extra dots was compared to an original one without the extras. I believe the only real way is to alter the firmware. Otherwise it would be like adding extra words to a text, where the original is available for comparison. The more I thought about, the more convicted I was that the dots being generated by every print out was dastardly and actually hard to counter, so confusion is the way to go for sure.
-- xenzag, Sep 14 2019


If you printed your documents with a solid yellow background, that might work, unless the firmware is smart enough to concentrate. Or a random, dense speckling of dots that differed per page.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 14 2019


Are you going to mention the antenna systems concealed in street furniture and advertising panels in raill stations, airports, shopping centres and other publlic areas which can read contactless payment cards at much longer distances than near field payment terminals and report footfall back to Snoop Central ?

Or is that stilll meant to be secret ?
-- 8th of 7, Sep 14 2019


I should also mention the antenna systems concealed in street furniture and advertising panels in raill stations, airports, shopping centres and other publlic areas which can read contactless payment cards at much longer distances than near field payment terminals and report footfall back to Snoop Central.
-- xenzag, Sep 14 2019


Ah, so you do know about that. S'OK, just weren't sure if it was still secret or not.
-- 8th of 7, Sep 14 2019


I think everybody knows now. Especially since they published that hack that transfers the entire budget of GCHQ into your Oyster card. Admittedly it's not much, but every little helps.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 14 2019



random, halfbakery