A Crook in Your Office Photocopier

This CBS report tells us that every photocopy machine made after 2002 has a hard drive that stores images of every document that you copy. When your machine goes onto the used machine market, all your documents go with it on that hard drive--along with whatever medical records, social security numbers, personal identification documents, etc. that you have copied. That machine, that sells for just a few hundred dollars, is a treasure trove for identity thieves and other leeches.


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So whenever you copy anything anywhere--at work, at the library, it makes no difference--you should assume that whatever we photocopy will one day be made available to the criminal element. The only machine that is safe is the personal printer/copier/scanner that sits at home beside your personal computer.

Every technological advance brings with it unforeseen consequences. Never assume they will be minor, though in this case they can be easily remedied.