Cheap Scanners Can "Fingerprint" Paper

carusoj writes "Researchers at Princeton University and University College London say they can identify unique information, essentially like a fingerprint, from any blank sheet of paper using any reasonably good scanner. The technique could be used to crack down on counterfeiting or even keep track of confidential documents. The researchers' paper on the finding is set to be presented at an IEEE security conference in Oakland, Calif., in May." Update: 03/10 22:43 GMT by T : J. Alex Halderman, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan and one of the authors of the study, writes with more: "My group has just put up a site about the work and a copy of the full paper, and we will probably add a video later tonight."

Re:Not *actual* fingerprints

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, it looks like we can both read. Unlike the first 10 comments or so that talked about putting tape on their fingers...

Re:I wonder

[s.bots]

Or you could be an idiot, as I was as a kid, and wonder if the car lighter actually gets hot. Then have concentric rings for a fingerprint for the next month :P

Less commitment than MIB, but also less alien slaying.

Re:Dirty Fingers

[Spatial]

Your sig is making me more than a little curious about what you were arrested for.

Correction

[batquux]

The researchers' paper on the finding is set to be presented at an IEEE security conference in Oakland, Calif., in May.

After a high resolution scan, it turns out this is not the researchers' paper after all.