Simply being prosecuted maliciously without evidence is enough to ruin one’s life. It’s not a matter of illegal or legal.
With the ability to identify perceived enemies of an administration, this weapon can be leveraged against anyone saying entirely legal things that the administration doesn’t like.
It’s not alarmism, it’s simply realpolitik.
its alarmism.
prosecution without evidence -> what does it have to do with tracking code?
How does the government know, the one've written what they dislike is you, in case they find a peace on the street and read the tracking code? Its an evidence, but, they dont know who printed it, where the printer is, and, hence, its absolutely not a imminent problem.
It will be a problem, though, if you register your device (serialnumber + name/address). But then, the printer-producer is the last firewall - and - its darwin' law then.
If one wants to criticize, distribute illegal writings and whatever else, then one should be literate in what one does and use caution. In a democracy, there are rules for all to adhere to. In areas without rules, one is literate enough to know how to keep safe or just not criticizing anyway.
btw, in europe its not realpolitik. In U.S. it wasn't until Trump - but, the populous have voted!
Of which countries are you talking, where such is realpolitik?
> How does the government know, the one've written what they dislike is you, in case they find a peace on the street and read the tracking code?
thats HP and no one should buy HPs printers anymore until they stop their doings. Their aggressive behavior towards the customer and lurkin' into paying monthly subscription, data & update politics, mandatory always-on-internet-connection...
Thats on top. So, as an informed individual being, one should avoid HP. The other printer producers do not insinst on registration or wifi-before-first-use politics. But, who knows.
.. again, how can the government find out who you are by having just a code? If there's no mandatory registration (f.e. not HP)? If one knows how to poisen the tracking code? If one use a new/used printer and dispose afterwards? If one use the "neighbor from the first floor" printer?
There is no possibility to find out who printed that, if one takes a little bit caution and have little bit of knowledge. Even print-out-once-copy-many would make the code unreadable (f.e. normal quality and/or black & white) ...
spread the word! W00t W00t! :)