The Concurring Opinions Privacy Blog had a very descriptive and informative post that explains how Microsoft Word documents may give away information about you that you are unaware of. They point out that Microsoft Word documents contain “metadata” that encodes information about the authors and editors of each document. They also cite a few examples of how this can come back to haunt you.

Similarly, according to this article, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has cracked a secret printer code with the Xerox DocuColor line of laser printers. Apparently, this is the word of the U.S. Secret Service. Encoded in each document printed from the laser printer is the date and time the document was printed, as well as the serial number of the printer.

The point is, your privacy may be at risk in ways you aren’t aware of.

According to a Washington Post article, in an eight-page document released on Capitol Hill today, Microsoft outlined a series of steps it would like to see Congress take to preempt a growing number of state laws that impose varying requirements on the collection, use, storage and disclosure of personal information.

To many of us, this is shocking news. However shocking, though, it is good news for privacy advocates. Microsoft is proposing that data keepers notify consumers when the institution’s privacy policy has changed, as well as allowing users to be able to view information that companies hold about them. If such legislation is enacted, and if no provisions are written in to prevent it, consumers can query data keepers such as ChoicePoint as to what information they have aggregated about the themselves.

Personally and professionally, I believe this would be a step in the right direction and a victory for privacy advocates. It also helps that a large company such as Microsoft is advocating on our behalf. Maybe now that the corporations are lining up, Congress will listen to us.