Photocopier Fallout: FTC "Concerned" About Copier Security

Three weeks after Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) watched our investigation into the dangers of digital copiers and called for an investigation, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) responded to him today with a letter saying it shares his, "concerned that personal information can be so easily retrieved from copiers."

Stopping short of announcing a full investigation, the FTC did say it is, "now reaching out to copier manufacturers, resellers and retail copy and office supply stores to ensure that they are aware of the privacy risks associated with digital copiers and to determine whether they are warning their customers about the risks..."

Chief Investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian revealed last month just how easy it is to pull sensitive and personal data off of a used digital copier machines. The piece highlighted a 2008 poll by copier manufacturer Sharp which showed that 60 percent of the American public are aware that digital copiers have hard drives that retain all of the copies, scans, faxes and emails that run through them.

Congressman Ed Markey spoke with Armen Keteyian for a follow-up story that airs tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.