Epson released software to keep people from using third-party ink – report

Rappler.com

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Epson released software to keep people from using third-party ink – report
Updates presented as improving the security of the printer were actually meant to disable the use of third-party ink cartridges

MANILA, Philippines – The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) revealed last Friday, October 5, that printer company Epson sent out an update to its printers in late 2016 or early 2017 that would make the printers work only with Epson’s branded ink. 

Many users prefer to use ink refills to avoid the higher cost of paying for branded ink. The issue with the updates sent by Epson is in how they were presented: as updates that would improve the security of the printer.

This misconduct, in turn, hurts the reputation of the brand when it comes to pushing out legitimate cybersecurity updates for their printers.

An EFF supporter in Texas discovered the issue and told the group, which led the EFF to alert the Texas Attorney General’s office about Epson’s behavior. 

The news follows similar actions by another printer giant, HP, which also sent an update like this to its OfficeJet and OfficeJet Pro printers. – Rappler.com

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