5 ms·

> add a signature belonging to your install of the machine to pictures and video files But why?

sodality2 5y ago
> > add a signature belonging to your install of the machine to pictures and video files > But why? Any media negative about the regime can be traced back to its source so they can be suicided. edit, more specific info from https://www.reuters.com/article/northkorea-computers-idUSKBN0UA0GF20151227 https://www.reuters.com/article/northkorea-computers-idUSKBN...: >Red Star also addresses a more pressing concern: cracking down on the growing underground exchange of foreign movies, music and writing. >Illegal media is usually passed from person-to-person in North Korea using USB sticks and microSD cards, making it hard for the government to track where they come from. >Red Star tackles this by tagging, or watermarking, every document or media file on a computer or on any USB stick connected to it. That means that any file could be traced back to anyone who had previously opened or created the file.
BuildTheRobots 5y ago
The KGB used to require all typewriters to be registered, so they could identify the authors of anything they found objectionable. Being able to track who produced an image that's doing the rounds spreading "propaganda" seems like it adds a lot of value (from an authoritarian point of view, at least).
- fs111 5y ago
  printers do that too with yellow dots
- Someone1234 5y ago
  The US still does this today via the MIC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_Identification_Code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_Identification_Code That's why your color printer cannot print in B&W when you're out of color ink (or at least one reason).
  - lights0123 5y ago
    > which certain color laser printers and copiers Inkjet printers are far more likely to not let you print without color ink, because they need to add the color inks to produce a darker black. Laser printers are far more likely to let you print without color toner (and as such, I've never worked with a laser printer that requires non-empty color toner cartridges), because they don't need to add additional colors for black.
- whimsicalism 5y ago
  LOL yeah the US does the exact same thing. I would pay to read a newspaper that (somewhat satirically) reported on the US the way we report on our adversaries. Complete with referring to police as "security forces", including wild speculations about the backstabbing behind-the-scenes of their top politics, etc.
  - jszymborski 5y ago
    The issue I take with this point is that: 1) There's plenty of criticism of the West from within its many nations borders 2) There's far more from outside its borders 3) Criticism of crushingly oppressive dictatorships is strictly forbidden from within With that context, Western criticism of oppressive dictatorships serves a vital purpose, and so does fair criticism of the West.
  - ceejayoz 5y ago
    The Washington Post does this occasionally. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/29/how-western-media-would-cover-minneapolis-if-it-happened-another-country/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/29/how-weste... https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/08/16/what-if-western-media-covered-americas-white-tribalism-the-same-way-it-covers-other-nations/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/... "'Culturally, Americans are a curious lot,' said Andrew Darcy Morthington, an United Kingdom-based commentator who once embarked on a two-year mission trip to teach rural American children and therefore qualifies as an expert on U.S. affairs."
    - elzbardico 5y ago
      The wapo did it till last January
  - hutzlibu 5y ago
    Well, just try some russian or chinese newspapers. I do it at times. There surely is wild propaganda mixed in, but also some very clear analysis of a certain cituation. More so, if for example russia is reporting on US-China crisis. Or vice versa.
- oleg_antonyan 5y ago
  Nowadays they're trying to enforce social media and messengers to require your phone number (most of them do this already anyway), and to get SIM-card you need your ID document. This way they can track down who posted a link to "Putin's palace", for example. And thanks to enforced data localization they may not even need help from social platform itself - they pwn hard drives. The difference between this and Apple's data collection, for example, is that Apple cannot use this information to imprison or kill you. At least until they deploy automatic scanner for cp in your photos.
- tenebrisalietum 5y ago
  How could a specific typewriter be tracked from a typed document?
  - PeterisP 5y ago
    The letter 'blanks' which hit the ribbon in a typewriter are imperfect, as all physical objects, so having a sample and a registered owner can be used tell that this document was written on this particular typewriter because e.g. all their letters 'F' have a tiny scratch in just the right place. It's similar to e.g. identifying specific guns by the markings left by imperfections of the barrel, you'd also take sample shots which can then be matched to the specific gun.
  - simpleguitar 5y ago
    He's talking about old mechanical style typewriters. Due to mechanical tolerances of the time, the letter shape and the alignment of the type bar would be slightly imperfect, and unique to that typewriter, acting as a fingerprint. It's the reason why ransom notes from old movies are made of letters cut out from different magazines and newspapers. No handwriting, and no typewriter. Did you know that US Secret service has samples of ink from various ball point pens? (https://www.12news.com/article/news/nation-world/look-inside-secret-services-library-of-15000-ink-samples/507-c93335c8-9d10-43a5-848d-f51ee227acd0 https://www.12news.com/article/news/nation-world/look-inside...)
  - lostcolony 5y ago
    So looking at a document, you'd not be able to know what typewriter it was written from, no. However, looking at a document, you may be able to tell the make and model of the typewriter, due to different typefaces and known mechanical differences across the make/model. That, coupled with a location or list of suspects, would allow you to examine specific typewriters. You may be able to determine a letter was written from a -given- typewriter, as machining differences in the keys, and differences in wear and tear over time can lead to minute differences in how the ink adheres. If you also have a letter written by a specific suspect, the variation in typing (how hard they hit the keys, common typing mistakes, etc) can lead to greater certainty of the author.

> > add a signature belonging to your install of the machine to pictures and video files > But why? Any media negative about the regime can be traced back to its source so they can be suicided. edit, more specific info from https://www.reuters.com/article/northkorea-computers-idUSKBN0UA0GF20151227 https://www.reuters.com/article/northkorea-computers-idUSKBN...: >Red Star also addresses a more pressing concern: cracking down on the growing underground exchange of foreign movies, music and writing. >Illegal media is usually passed from person-to-person in North Korea using USB sticks and microSD cards, making it hard for the government to track where they come from. >Red Star tackles this by tagging, or watermarking, every document or media file on a computer or on any USB stick connected to it. That means that any file could be traced back to anyone who had previously opened or created the file.

BuildTheRobots 5y ago

The KGB used to require all typewriters to be registered, so they could identify the authors of anything they found objectionable. Being able to track who produced an image that's doing the rounds spreading "propaganda" seems like it adds a lot of value (from an authoritarian point of view, at least).

fs111 5y ago
printers do that too with yellow dots
Someone1234 5y ago
The US still does this today via the MIC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_Identification_Code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_Identification_Code That's why your color printer cannot print in B&W when you're out of color ink (or at least one reason).
- lights0123 5y ago
  > which certain color laser printers and copiers Inkjet printers are far more likely to not let you print without color ink, because they need to add the color inks to produce a darker black. Laser printers are far more likely to let you print without color toner (and as such, I've never worked with a laser printer that requires non-empty color toner cartridges), because they don't need to add additional colors for black.
whimsicalism 5y ago
LOL yeah the US does the exact same thing. I would pay to read a newspaper that (somewhat satirically) reported on the US the way we report on our adversaries. Complete with referring to police as "security forces", including wild speculations about the backstabbing behind-the-scenes of their top politics, etc.
- jszymborski 5y ago
  The issue I take with this point is that: 1) There's plenty of criticism of the West from within its many nations borders 2) There's far more from outside its borders 3) Criticism of crushingly oppressive dictatorships is strictly forbidden from within With that context, Western criticism of oppressive dictatorships serves a vital purpose, and so does fair criticism of the West.
- ceejayoz 5y ago
  The Washington Post does this occasionally. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/29/how-western-media-would-cover-minneapolis-if-it-happened-another-country/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/29/how-weste... https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/08/16/what-if-western-media-covered-americas-white-tribalism-the-same-way-it-covers-other-nations/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/... "'Culturally, Americans are a curious lot,' said Andrew Darcy Morthington, an United Kingdom-based commentator who once embarked on a two-year mission trip to teach rural American children and therefore qualifies as an expert on U.S. affairs."
  - elzbardico 5y ago
    The wapo did it till last January
- hutzlibu 5y ago
  Well, just try some russian or chinese newspapers. I do it at times. There surely is wild propaganda mixed in, but also some very clear analysis of a certain cituation. More so, if for example russia is reporting on US-China crisis. Or vice versa.
oleg_antonyan 5y ago
Nowadays they're trying to enforce social media and messengers to require your phone number (most of them do this already anyway), and to get SIM-card you need your ID document. This way they can track down who posted a link to "Putin's palace", for example. And thanks to enforced data localization they may not even need help from social platform itself - they pwn hard drives. The difference between this and Apple's data collection, for example, is that Apple cannot use this information to imprison or kill you. At least until they deploy automatic scanner for cp in your photos.
tenebrisalietum 5y ago
How could a specific typewriter be tracked from a typed document?
- PeterisP 5y ago
  The letter 'blanks' which hit the ribbon in a typewriter are imperfect, as all physical objects, so having a sample and a registered owner can be used tell that this document was written on this particular typewriter because e.g. all their letters 'F' have a tiny scratch in just the right place. It's similar to e.g. identifying specific guns by the markings left by imperfections of the barrel, you'd also take sample shots which can then be matched to the specific gun.
- simpleguitar 5y ago
  He's talking about old mechanical style typewriters. Due to mechanical tolerances of the time, the letter shape and the alignment of the type bar would be slightly imperfect, and unique to that typewriter, acting as a fingerprint. It's the reason why ransom notes from old movies are made of letters cut out from different magazines and newspapers. No handwriting, and no typewriter. Did you know that US Secret service has samples of ink from various ball point pens? (https://www.12news.com/article/news/nation-world/look-inside-secret-services-library-of-15000-ink-samples/507-c93335c8-9d10-43a5-848d-f51ee227acd0 https://www.12news.com/article/news/nation-world/look-inside...)
- lostcolony 5y ago
  So looking at a document, you'd not be able to know what typewriter it was written from, no. However, looking at a document, you may be able to tell the make and model of the typewriter, due to different typefaces and known mechanical differences across the make/model. That, coupled with a location or list of suspects, would allow you to examine specific typewriters. You may be able to determine a letter was written from a -given- typewriter, as machining differences in the keys, and differences in wear and tear over time can lead to minute differences in how the ink adheres. If you also have a letter written by a specific suspect, the variation in typing (how hard they hit the keys, common typing mistakes, etc) can lead to greater certainty of the author.