One thing libraries take seriously is the privacy of their users. We go to great lengths to ensure that what you’re reading is for your eyes only. That’s why this article is so disturbing: http://www.eff.org/issues/printers. In an effort to stop counterfeiters, the Secret Service has persuaded some laser printer manufactures to encode printed pages with identifying information that could be used to track the printer and the person who used it. Sure, we can all agree that counterfeiting is a crime, and it certainly needs to be prosecuted, but isn’t this going too far? What do you think? Should be libraries be doing something about this?
Actually Brian this has been in effect for over a decade! Laser Printer manufacturers have been digitally watermarking printouts almost since the beginning. Add to that the registration data that is appended to MS office documents and the surveillance folks know exactly who wrote what, when and where.
However, look at it from another angle…this same information can be used to hold fraudulent CEOs, etc. accountable for their misdeeds against co-workers, taxpayers and shareholders.
This kind of thing cuts both ways.
This is not a new thing. It just wasn’t very widely known until CSI did an episode on it. While I think it is creepy and scary I can see that it might be a necessary thing in some situations.
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