It has been a battle between HP and consumer advocates for many years: The printer manufacturer wants to ensure that users can only use the original and relatively expensive printer cartridges. Users and consumer advocates, on the other hand, want to ensure that there is a free choice of cartridge manufacturer. Therefore, various technical and legal means are used to fight.
HP is currently expanding the technical barriers against third-party ink. Previously, various HP printers displayed a warning when a third-party ink cartridge was installed. But now, like the newspaper, the printers just refuse to work altogether TheTelegraph citing various user complaints.
Malware threat?
HP doesn’t even deny the latest blocking initiative, but justifies it with the same arguments that the expected performance and quality can only be guaranteed if the right cartridges are used. In addition, there is now also a reference to security: because all cartridges use their own electronic components and the chips from third-party manufacturers could have their own security gaps. The user would then be exposed to a greater risk of malware infection.
However, this is an advanced argument. There are certainly security gaps in chip architectures, but these can usually only be exploited with relatively great effort. If you want to hijack printers, you are more likely to tamper with the firmware, which often has weak points.
- HP prevents users from using third-party ink to increase profits.
- Consumer advocates are opposed to this practice.
- HP is now strengthening the locks, justifying this with malware risks.
- HP claims third-party chips may have security vulnerabilities.
- However, this argument is pretend, real security gaps are rare.
- Real risks lurk more in the firmware of the printer.
- HP and consumer advocates have been arguing about the free choice of cartridges for many years.
See also:
Internet, stock photos, printer, ip address, ipv4, network printer, 192.168., color printer
