Accused leaker Reality Winner (really - that's a name?) was mostly tripped up by her own incompetence in leaking info to the media (using her office computer to contact the media outlet, among other things), but there was something hidden in the weeds that was interesting.
According to reports from several sources and confirmed by the Electronic Freedom Foundation - which has a detailed explanation of how it works on their website - printers sold in the US leave a microscopic code on each document that indicates when and on which printer the document was printed. The code, which is a pattern of dots that can only be seen under magnification, indicates the date, time, and the serial number of the printer used. The EFF has software on their website that will enable you to read the code, assuming you can magnify it enough to upload it.
When The Intercept - the outlet that broke the story - tried to confirm the authenticity of the document, they provided a copy of it to the NSA. NSA quickly determined that the document had been printed and probably removed from a secure area; a quick search identified 6 people who had printed the document. They then looked at the microscopic code and were able to determine that it was printed on the printer used by Ms Winner. Busted!
Moral of the story - if you're going to leak confidential information, don't print a hard copy of it from your work computer. Better yet, don't do it at all. Big Brother is watching. Reality is about to learn what reality really is, and she has no one to blame but herself.
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