That's all they're going to get anyway. I've never heard of a retail store recording the serial number of all their merchandise, much less associating it with a customer's credit card.
The utility to law enforcement is being able to prove a connection between the evidence and a suspect after they've obtained a warrant. Or in this case, it was a NSA owned printer so they already had the serial number without needing a warrant.
And if you are foolish enough to register with the manufacturer, the NSA already has your serial number without needing a warrant.
> I've never heard of a retail store recording the serial number of all their merchandise, much less associating it with a customer's credit card.
Isn't that how the caught Chelsea Manning? Serial numbers from CD-RWs. Also, the store itself doesn't need to associate it with the customer, they just need to know where those CDs were distributed, and the investigators can follow up the transaction details.
The utility to law enforcement is being able to prove a connection between the evidence and a suspect after they've obtained a warrant. Or in this case, it was a NSA owned printer so they already had the serial number without needing a warrant.
And if you are foolish enough to register with the manufacturer, the NSA already has your serial number without needing a warrant.