HP to issue rollback option to its “security update”

HP said it would issue a rollback option to its ''security update'' that prevented its printers from operating with a number of recycled and third-party ink cartridges.

''We are committed to transparency in all of our communications and when we fall short, we call ourselves out,'' the company stated in a post entitled ''Dedicated to the best printing experience.''

''There is confusion in the market regarding a printer firmware update – here are the facts.''

HP claimed it was only trying to protect its users and provide the best possible experience.

Commentators pointed out sarcastically that this meant issuing an update in March, activating a feature six months down the line. And of course, no warning was given that the  printers might stop working with cartridges they printed with the day before, they said.

Cory Doctorow of the EFF specifically, called out HP over its dubious tactics.

HP also issued an apology of sorts saying, ''We should have done a better job of communicating about the authentication procedure to customers, and we apologize,'' HP's post continued. ''As a remedy for the small number of affected customers, we will issue an optional firmware update that will remove the dynamic security feature. We expect the update to be ready within two weeks.''

HP further clarified that third-party cartridges still worked with the original update, so long as they were built with HP security chips.

The first mandatory update came into effect 13 September and forced printers to display "damaged cartridge" whenever a ''bad'' third-party cartridge was loaded.

People who used third-party ink/ink cartridges saw their OfficeJet printers received a "cartridge damaged" error warning starting on 13 September.

Meanwhile, one cartridge manufacturing company planned to create new chips that would override the security check, but according to commentators that might not now be necessary.