Canon Blocks Copy Jobs Using Banned Keywords 309
aesoteric notes that a future version of Canon's document management system will include the exciting breakthrough technology that will OCR your printed and scanned documents, and
prevent distribution of keywords. Documents containing the offending words can be sent to the administrator, without actually telling the user just what word tripped the alarm. The article notes that simply using 1337 for example will get around it.
Re:Names? (Score:5, Interesting)
From the "don't give them any ideas" dept. (Score:5, Interesting)
All a publisher would have to do is to embed a code or passphrase or optical pattern on the pages of their copyrighted publication and then arrange with manufacturers such as Canon or Xerox not to duplicate those pages. The pattern could be a watermark in the background of the content, defeating attempts to obscure it with a post-it not or some such.
I predict a huge demand for older, dumber photocopiers.
Re:Names? (Score:1, Interesting)
Um...why would the business configure those keywords to be banned if they did have a use for them?
Or did you not understand how the software was meant to be used, not by Canon configuring it from on high, but by the business's own administrators picking words they wanted to restrict?
This may or may not be a desired feature for you, or very good in its implementation, but do try to understand what it is.
Read his post before accusing him of not understanding it.
There are plenty of people with curse words or trademarks in their legal names (particularly foreigners, I've known a few Japanese people who ended up being referred to as ****amari or o****a in our system), turns out "Don't add Smith or Johnson to the blacklist" doesn't always work in preventing this.
Re:From the "don't give them any ideas" dept. (Score:1, Interesting)
They already do this for money. It's called the EURion constellation [wikipedia.org].
Re:Names? (Score:5, Interesting)
If you want to block copying of some documents, you can simply watermark them with the anti counterfeiting constellation. Use something that will print the constellation and print up a ream of paper. Use the anti copy paper for the documents you don't want copied.
Print this in yellow ink in the background.
http://globalpapersecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/150px-EURion.svg_.png/ [globalpapersecurity.com]
Simple workaround (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:From the "don't give them any ideas" dept. (Score:3, Interesting)
They already do this for money. It's called the EURion constellation.
Many copiers are known to shutdown permanently - as in require a visit from the repairman (who will probably report you to the secret service or equivalent anti-money-counterfeiting police in your country) - when presented with that pattern.
It's just begging for mischief makers to abuse by putting the pattern on all sorts of regular documents.
Re:Its like router filters the *admin* sets (Score:2, Interesting)
It's basically a data loss prevention product. See a string of numbers that looks like a credit card or SSN? Sorry, you're not allowed to print/copy/fax that. Contact your security admin/supervisor to explain why you need to print employee socials and how you plan to safeguard/eventually dispose of that information.
I can see this being very useful for shops that have to deal with PCI or PII laws.
Re:How Long... (Score:3, Interesting)
It's amazing how versatile the Chatroulette [slashdot.org] technology concept could be. The recognition of human body parts from images surprisingly seems to have more in-demand applications than computer vision in general; and all to control people and prevent them from doing stupid things.
Genitalia image detection could stop abuse of hand-washing robots [slashdot.org], keep certain nastiness off slashdot [slashdot.org], AI Physicians [slashdot.org]
It's amazing people drop to the level of stupidity they'd actually try to photocopy genitals, disregarding the obvious risks involved... that makes them dumber than the computer in that action.
Re:Just what we need... (Score:1, Interesting)
Here's a scenario.
Blocked Keywords
Conspiracy, 911, HFT, inside job, insider trading, foreclosuregate, chemtrail, corruption, malfeasance, misfeasance, cracked voting machine, election fraud, legal theft, eugenics, oath breaker, fascism, fascist, failed USD, treason, murder, propaganda, corporate media, unconstitutional, intermittent constitution, mark to market, spying, wiki, cryptome, alex jones, Geo Engineering, aluminum, barium, Depleted Uranium, Fibromyalgia, obesity, HFCS, AIPAC, PNAC, CFR, TC, UN, IMF, bilderberg, rothchild, 401k theft, masturbating cops, failed state
okay, now try printing any story about Government corruption.
I hear they have a computer which can tell when people are going to snap. Which is a fucking joke, cause if all you did was pay attention you could see the writing on the wall, this shit ain't going to end well.
Re:From the "don't give them any ideas" dept. (Score:3, Interesting)
They already do this for money. It's called the EURion constellation.
Many copiers are known to shutdown permanently - as in require a visit from the repairman (who will probably report you to the secret service or equivalent anti-money-counterfeiting police in your country) - when presented with that pattern.
It's just begging for mischief makers to abuse by putting the pattern on all sorts of regular documents.
You just can't make an allegation like that without presenting a citation or link to a list of copiers known to behave in such a manner.
How are we to know which copiers we can brea^H^H^H^Havoid breaking?
A word from the Vendor if I may (Score:5, Interesting)
This has nothing to do with foul language and everything to do with people walking out the door with account numbers, medical records, credit card info, social security numbers and other valuable private information.
Yes, this is true.
Although I don't know why this is "Breaking News" considering it has been offered on Xerox products for over 3 years.
And I should know, we sell this stuff to government departments purely based on the security we can offer them.
It might be easy to hand write the details off the screen for circumvention, but that is only going to net you a small data set. These systems are designend to stop people walking off with entire client databases and that type of thing. In the governemnt, it's more about keyword 'flagging' that sends the MIB to your desk on very short notice.
Re:Just what we need... (Score:3, Interesting)
...this is for corporate enforcement, nothing more.
I share the same wishful thinking but...
Considering that many copiers also function as printers, it seems very possible that the keyword technology will end up in a networked printer. If that happens, a hack or backdoor feature to report access of documents with certain markings or keywords to a remote location certainly seems possible. Slowly send data by carefully crafted time server accesses or something and who would know? Couldn't info be passed along under the guise of periodic or startup firmware update checks? If one doesn't see the source of fax/print drivers, couldn't they also be crafted to pass along information?
To have OCR, one of these copiers is obviously a scanner integrated with a printer and some brains. Compared to what would already be included, it probably wouldn't take much more code to add spooky features. (Don't some printers/drivers already add subtle changes to imbed info in output that can indicate where it came from?)
Even consumer copiers not marketed as having the banned-keywords features could end up being sold with the same potential capabilities. It's not an unheard of concept. For example some DSL modems originally designed with firewalls shipped with modified firmware for certain ISPs that took away access to and visible signs of the firewalls in their web setup pages.
Re:Just what we need... (Score:2, Interesting)
I remember when I was in school and I wanted to run some RPGs but didn't have any of the books anymore.. I couldn't stand having PDFs so I figured I would start printing out the books, 3 hole punch them and put them in 3 ring binders. So I started with the core books and moved on to the supplements. I don't know how many pages I printed. Several thousand easy. The first page it printed was a cover page. The school started catching on to how much was being printed so they limited each print job to something like 20 pages.
I know my example is about printing and not copying, but I could see where it would help to deal with similar abuses.
Re:Just what we need... (Score:2, Interesting)
We do explain to parents applying for internet passes for their children that we don't filter, and a few parents decide to withhold permission from the kids or decide to only allow them access when the parent is there to watch over them.