Is it true that most copy machines have hard drives in them, that store an image of every copy they've ever made?

Question

I read this over at CBS News.

Answer 1

Almost all photocopiers have storage of some sort, and in IT security, this is a major issue. All IT security shops will tell you to trash/destroy the hard disk before getting rid of a photocopier, or even sending it for maintenance. Some companies such as Canon are telling everyone that their photocopiers, which use hard disks have built-in file overwriting systems that are military-grade.

This is true regardless of whether a photocopier has or has no network port. Today's photocopiers are mainly a scanner coupled with some graphic engine for graphics effects or transformation and a laser printer. If you are printing sensitive content, be careful where you photocopy it.

JF

Answer 2

As it says in the article:

Nearly every digital copier built since 2002 contains a hard drive - like the one on your personal computer - storing an image of every document copied, scanned, or emailed by the machine.

I would think the Golden Rule here is: if the machine at hand has an ethernet port, use another one to Xerox you passport or any private part of your body.