Canon printers and scanners may save owners' personal information and share it with third parties

Canon printers and scanners can save their owners' personal data obtained when printing and copying documents and transfer them to third parties, The Washington Post reported.

According to the newspaper, the text of the company's privacy policy states that Canon allows its devices to collect data for marketing purposes. And that means the company may share user information with third parties, such as advertisers.

Canon may collect not only the content of documents printed and scanned by users, but also file metadata, which may include information about the location, time, etc. of the photo or document.

Canon did not directly respond to The Washington Post's questions about whether the company collects users' personal data, how long it is kept and how it is used. The company only stated that it respects the interests of customers and operates within the framework of federal and state laws.

The newspaper did not find any point about data collection in the text of HP company's privacy policy. However, such provisions exist in user agreements with public printing service providers such as FedEx, UPS, and Staples.