It’s been almost a year since the discovery of secret yellow dots printed by laser printers as a part of tracking prints for secret services. The process of illegally tracking yellow dots without the consent of the consumer was termed as direct attack on the privacy of the owners and users of printers, and in particular, on their right to free, anonymous speech.

Earlier this year, the VP of EU commission, Franco Frattini issued an official statement against the use of yellow dots as a tracking mechanism. The statement read that the use of any secret codes through printers will lead to human rights violation.

All the background aside, EFF has undertaken the task of identifying the laser printers that generate yellow grid pattern from others. The organization has started conducting tests by observing the printouts under a blue light and/or a microscope. They also seek inputs from press, printer manuals, manufacturer statements, resellers, technicians and others willing to help.

Going through the list of printers that have obliged to place yellow dots, it is obvious that all printer manufacturers have come under the clout with the exception of OKI. To name a few popular ones, Canon’s line of ImageRUNNERs, Konica Minolta’s Magicolor and HP’s LaserJet among others.