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.
How Long... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Should be fine for now unless your butt is labeled.
Re:How Long... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How Long... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How Long... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Hahahahahahahaha.
Better add (.)(.) whilst you are at it too. :)
Re:How Long... (Score:5, Funny)
If you have older staff, add UU.
Re:How Long... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:How Long... (Score:5, Funny)
They can buy the requisite genital recognition software from Chatroulette.
Re: (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
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:How Long... (Score:4, Insightful)
Have you considered that the glass platen on the copier may not be load rated?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The obvious risks of copying my buttcheeks? Care to elaborate, 'cause it's not especially obvious to me. Stupid, maybe, but not risky.
How about the fact that many copiers now contain hard drives and keep records of images copied.
Re: (Score:2)
You don't scare me. That could be anyone's ass.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
This doesn't PREVENT people from doing anything. It actively ENABLES people to get fired...or blackmailed...
And the sysadmin gets a lot of interesting emails.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
That software is not worth that much at all.
I continue to put my penis up on Chatroulette quite often. Not once has Chatroulette's software determined that I have a penis. It's clearly defective software.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
How long until making photocopies of your butt becomes a thing of the past?
How long until making photocopies of your butt so a picture of your mooning backside automatically gets emailed to the system administrator or your boss becomes the thing of the future!
Re:How Long... (Score:5, Funny)
Parsing Error (Score:2)
Egads! I hope that doesn't happen. I don't hold anything against the man, but that's precisely the point. Now, if I worked one department over, for that lovely 30-something woman, I wouldn't mind so much. :D
Cheers,
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
How long until making photocopies of your butt becomes a thing of the past?
This is the new Volvo I want!
Just what we need... (Score:2)
Re:Just what we need... (Score:5, Insightful)
You seem to think that these machines will only be purchased by corporations. What gives you that idea? How do you know that public libraries won't have these machines installed? What about schools? The problem is that this technology can and most likely will be abused. Public libraries and schools already filter websites; this will take that sort of censorship to an entirely new level.
Re:Just what we need... (Score:5, Insightful)
I mean damn, I know slashdot is paranoid, but this is ridiculous; this is for corporate enforcement, nothing more.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
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 alo
Re:Just what we need... (Score:5, Insightful)
I renewed my card at Enoch Pratt a few years back, and the librarian looked over my record, said, "Oh, they were collecting SSN's back then--let me just delete THAT from the record..." Not your typical bureaucrats, there, not at all. They're not in it for the money or the power.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
They're not in it for the money or the power.
Oh I beg to differ, knowledge is power you know, and they just love to accumulate knowledge. Damn power hungry librarians.
Re:Just what we need... (Score:5, Informative)
Yeah they are in it for the sex! Duh.
Re:Just what we need... (Score:4, Funny)
So you've failed miserably at attracting mates by letting down your hair and taking off your glasses?
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, one locksmith. The rest of them don't have a problem. ;-)
Re: (Score:2)
What exactly is so incredibly and overwhelmingly evil about a corporate owned photocopier that is able to enforce the "CONFIDENTIAL DO NOT PHOTOCOPY" marks on important documents? A locksmith will refuse to cut a key that says "DO NOT DUPLICATE". Is this more evil than that? Less? Same?
Exactly. It's a means of preventing or detecting if employees are printing or illicitly photocopying controlled or sensitive documents. I'm pretty sure the DOD would be interested in controlling the copying or printing of classified documents on an unclassified printer for example. The obvious key words would be confidential, limited distributions, etc.
Don't get wrapped up thinking this is censorship because you can't xerox your kids boy scout flyers using company equipment and paper.
Re:Just what we need... (Score:4, Funny)
First entry in the blocked database... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
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: (Score:2)
Re: (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: (Score:2)
Fingertip tattoos?
Re: (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?
Re:From the "don't give them any ideas" dept. (Score:5, Informative)
I personally can attest to what the parent said. Back while I was a sysadmin at my old job, I read about the yellow-dot markings that were sneaked into all sorts of printers and copiers for detection, and in some cases, for prevention of copying.
While reading about this, we came across the knowledge that banknotes had these yellow markings on them, so on a slow Friday we decided to test it out. We stuck a 20GBP note into the machine and hit copy. It promptly jammed and said it needed an engineer to come service it immediately.
As it was a small company and I was their go-to guy for just about everything, I already knew how to fix it, so I did it myself rather than calling an engineer.
Thinking it was a coincidence, we ran more tests. The machine would run fine for hundreds of copies, but would jam every single time you tried to copy the banknote, without exception. It really seemed like it was deliberately jamming itself.
If memory serves me correctly, it was a Toshiba colour copier, but if you want to find out if your copier also does the same, just stick a banknote in it. (UK ones are rejected, but probably others are as well).
I remember thinking how sneaky it was of them. Rather than telling you that they refuse the action you requested, they jam the machine. I don't know if the engineer would rat you out when he came round to fix it (as we didn't call one) but it is known that the machine will generally hold the last few things copied in memory (I presume to aid debugging of issues).
P.S Sorry for any typo's etc... typing this on my phone.
Social Problem (Score:5, Insightful)
You're doing it wrong. If there's anything I've learned in dealing with people, it is never try to create a technical solution to a social problem. If someone wants to make a copy of some secret document, they will quickly learn that the copiers have this software installed and will use a different machine. You need to figure out why they would want to make copies of something you don't want them to, and solve that problem. I could see this being marginally useful for preventing accidental release of information, however the article seems to state that they are trying to stop deliberate users.
A determined user who has guessed the prohibited keyword could get around it by simply substituting numbers or other characters for letters, such as z00 instead of zoo, representatives for Canon conceded.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
"If someone wants to make a copy of some secret document, they will quickly learn that the copiers have this software installed and will use a different machine. "
Or a digital camera, which can fit nicely in a cigarette pack...
Re: (Score:2)
A package that can hold about 10-20 cigarettes (I'm not a smoker), as opposed to a carton, which holds about twenty packs.
Wingdings (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Stupidity (Score:5, Insightful)
"The system can optionally inform the user by email that their attempt has been blocked, but without identifying the keyword in question, maintaining the security of the system."
Until the user decides to compare his blocked page with blocked pages from other letters or does a binary search for the forbidden word. Glad they thought this through.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Binary search would be fine, except that "The server will email the administrator a PDF copy of the document in question if a user attempts to do so". It might look a tad bit suspicious if the user keeps trying to make copies of the same document with different parts blacked out.
Re: (Score:2)
It obviously isn't intended to block spies: just the usual oblivious doofus.
Its like router filters the *admin* sets (Score:5, Informative)
So its not some Canon thing where they think some words shouldnt be used. You know, dirty words like Bottom or Crevice.
The internal admin can set the words. Its like a silent alarm really. No different to a corporate spam filter with words added to a blacklist by an admin.
Re: (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.
unplug LAN? (Score:2)
what happens if you unplug the LAN cord?
Simple workaround (Score:2, Interesting)
Printer Virus (Score:2)
Moist (Score:2)
How to abuse this system (Score:2)
How to abuse this system (and possibly get fired)
Step 1: Find some known banned words that are not easily noticed
Step 2: Get access to coworker's Microsoft Word.
Step 3: Set Auto-correct to change similar spelled words to these banned words.
Step 4: Don't get caught.
Devil's advocate (Score:2)
Censorship == bad but...
If you have access to one of these machines at work and you can't copy something, maybe there's a good reason for it. If it's hindering your job, go up the chain (painful perhaps but such is life). If you're doing it for personal reasons, maybe you should go to a copy shop.
If you're the nefarious type, photograph the pages and print them elsewhere.
If you own the copier, you control the keywords.
I'm looking at this from the employer perspective. I'm purposely not looking at the copyri
Wow, do any of you people have jobs? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Wow, do any of you people have jobs?
Hi, welcome to Slashdot! You must be new here!
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: (Score:3, Informative)
It also does nothing to keep you from using your phone to take a picture of the screen -- something I have done when the machine coughs up a BSOD.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
no, as a word from the consumer, either be responsible and make sure everyone knows what your systems exactly do and the dangers of them, or B make a standard dumb machine and mind your own bees wax
You aren't the consumer. The person who bough the copier in part because of this advertised feature is the consumer. You're just a user. A user who doesn't need to know there are security protocols to protect customer information. The people who need to know about the feature I'm sure are well aware of it.
Apologetically Enthusiastic (Score:2, Insightful)
Exciting? (Score:2)
I must have a different understanding of this context unless by "exciting breakthrough" they mean "censorship breakthrough", then I get it.
More fear and control. (Score:2)
Just another brick in the wall.
-FL
Yay I get to be a pedantic troll! (Score:2)
Canon Blocks Copy Jobs Using Banned Keywords
If the keywords are banned, how can you use them to do any copy blocking?
Tianemen Square, Tibet, Dali Lama (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Names? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Well, ignoring the fact that this isn't a technology with any sort of real censorship possibilities (scanning hardware is too ubiquitous, OCR is too weak a search tool), when was the last time you saw an expensive, top-tier, recently manufactured corporate copier in a public library? I'm guessing never, because few public libraries are going to have the funds to purchase them, and even fewer would waste the funds they have on purchasing them if they come up with the money.
The point, and only real purpose,
Re:Names? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
But, of course, it hasn't been used, they say.Authority to obtain library records hasn't been used, Ashcroft says (By The Associated Press) [firstamendmentcenter.org]
Re:Names? (Score:5, Funny)
Hey, look on the bright side, if you manage to get access to the admin side of the copier (or perhaps if you've found that they never set it up, but your copier has this functionality), you can have loads of fun. Imagine if the copier wouldn't copy anything with the letter a in it, and if someone tried to, it would email your manager (or their boss). All the fun of shutting down the copier and spamming someone at the same time!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Give the printer a list of words connected with sexual activities, and make it CC any printout containing them to company-wide announce list.
Re: (Score:2)
The "banned words" are installed by the business.
Re: (Score:2)
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]
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Names? (Score:4, Informative)
Much much better link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EURion_constellation [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:2)
I imagine there will be a lot of trouble with this at Jim's Clbuttic cars.
Re: (Score:2)
Reminds me of when a friend was involved with a video shoot for the Butthole Surfers a long time ago. He got a call from a company who had completed an order for something related to the shoot, and the woman on the phone would not say which order it was as she did not want to utter the bands name. Just kept saying the surfers.
Re: (Score:2)
Sounds like something analogous to the Scunthorphe problem.
Re: (Score:2)
It will be interesting to see when businesses wont be able to fax, or deal with clients whose names contains those banned words ...
And once again, the good folk of Scunthorpe [wikipedia.org] in the UK will find the technology won't work in their town, and won't let people write to or about them.
Re: (Score:2)
I mean, anyone sending around inappropriate stuff would just be disciplined as soon as the boss sees it.
Re: (Score:2)
"I mean, anyone sending around inappropriate stuff would just be disciplined as soon as the boss sees it."
Yeah, like my secretary should be disciplined for sending those naughty pictures of herself....she's been a baaad girl and deserves a spanking..
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Ours filters profanities out of subject headers. I don't really approve, but I can see why. Emails sometimes leave the company and they have the company's name in the domain.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, because THAT is the kind of stuff businesses will block. None of that silly 'do not copy' or 'confidential' stuff.
If they go as far as to block 'do not copy' or 'confidential' I'll just have to snap a pic of the document with my phone.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
At least I'll have the fun of watching the HR dept (Score:2)
I imagine the first terms to be added could be something like "Company Confidential, Do Not Copy" or "Sensitive Business Information".
Re: (Score:2)
If you do figure out what feature triggers the lockout and then alter it so that it's not actually the bill any more but still triggers the lockout, you can spread copy center havoc without breaking the law at all.