I think you should pass up getting a 5s and use that money on a tin foil hat instead......
Thanks for that deep insight! You should be proud of yourself (which I'm sure you are)!
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Disabling the iPhone 5S's fingerprint reader - any suggestions?
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Thanks for that deep insight! You should be proud of yourself (which I'm sure you are)!
Yes, I'm absolutely concerned about these things... but for the purposes of this thread, I for one am more gobsmacked that of all of these other things that the OP should be worried about, he instead has chosen to fixate on a rather absurd one: he wants to disable the fingerprint reader on a device which can be used to collect far more insidious data, and not buying said device - the option which is most effective - is not an option he finds acceptable.
All of this, while the hardware is still for all intents and purposes vaporware, and we have no actual real world information on what exactly it collects when analyzing fingerprints. We're just assuming that perfect, exact high-res images of fingerprints are taken every time the home button is touched, and then being sent off to Apple, where Tim Cook is laughing maniacally and forwarding the images to the NSA, so that they can do... whatever it is we think they intend to do with these images.
So, you're demanding answers of Apple for actions that you are skeptical that they even do? Okay.
Well I guess the short answer is you cannot unless you never touch the fingerprint sensor with your finger. You have to have some trust in any supplier that you engage that they deliver on their promises, otherwise why would you buy their products.
Apple have said that no image of the fingerprint is retained or transmitted so unless you believe that statement to be false this isn't really anything to worry about. I'm pretty sure that if the are lying they will be found out soon enough.
I initiated the discussion to find ways of disabling the fingerprint reader - that's what this is about. As any discussion that isn't perfectly in line with Apple's view of the world, this turned into a fanboy mud-fest. I tried to avoid that, but it's apparently pointless.
I can kind of see your concern based on the stories of students being observed via the built in chat cams in laptops.
What about the schools remotely monitoring students laptop cams even when the student wasn't using the cam or had it turned on? I think his concern, while to an extreme, isn't entirely unwarranted.
What about the schools remotely monitoring students laptop cams even when the student wasn't using the cam or had it turned on? He has a valid point to a degree. Nothing is 100% secure.
I personally only plug in an external webcam when I need to use it, the rest of time it sits unplugged in a drawer. If it's a built in webcam, a little gaffers tape takes care of it nicely.
Ya even as I said that I knew I was sadly misstating things. Check out this podcast from Cracked.com http://www.earwolf.com/episode/loss-of-privacy/
But seriously I still think you're over blowing this. If turning it off isn't enough for you either smash your home button or don't get a 5s.
I'm guessing there will be hardware solutions to this (probably in the form of a home-button sticker).
As for Apple: I don't believe they're lying. I just don't think anyone's actually capable of making a network-attached biometric scanner bullet-proof. I don't want this to spoil an otherwise phenomenal phone for me, that's why I started the thread - I'm genuinely interested in solutions (which might already exist).
The same people most probably would have complaint if the sensor wasn't introduced
not me
I've never found that entering a 4-digit passcode is much of a problemThis right here is the best solution.
The reader is essentially a camera so any thing that blocks or obscures the lens should defeat it.
Next problem?
The same people most probably would have complaint if the sensor wasn't introduced
lol some people would have, that's for sure. Not the OP though.
And we answered that the reader doesn't record anything if you don't tell it to and beyond that there isn't a way to disable it without physically taking the device apart. You can cover it with a foil sticker like Gjwilly posted which should do the trick.
Had you really wanted to avoid it you could have asked the mods to close this thread after that answer was given and it was obvious that the thread had taken a different turn.
But you didn't so here we are.
The reader is actually surprisingly sophisticated. Simply covering it might not work - you'd have to cover it with an electrical isolator of sorts. Not sure a 0.2mm thick piece of plastic will be enough.
I'm pretty sure someone's watching YOU right now.
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When did I dismiss that? I myself suggested using a sticker. Not buying the phone isn't a solution for me.
It seems that you didn't read my response, and again, you do not understand this technology. My examples were all "things that you are" that are, for all intents and purpose, "in the wild".
You seriously need to read the article that was quoted earlier in this thread. It explains how this works, and more importantly, how it is not feasible for an outside party to obtain and use the information.
YOUR FINGERPRINT IS NOT BEING STORED. It is a collection of meta data that the proprietary software uses to determine if the finger currently being scanned matches the one that was stored. This info is stored in a PHYSICAL ENCLAVE inside of the actual device. It is disconnected from the rest of the OS.
I get it, you put a disclaimer at the end of your post and that is supposed to allow you to spread this hysteria and dis-information without anyone calling you out on it. You have every right to create threads and post about whatever you want, but by doing so you are literally asking for a discussion. Welcome to the internet.
Reports say that sweaty fingers can foil (sic) the reader sometimes so it may be easier than you think. But if everything is so uncertain, I'm surprised you didn't wait until the phone was in the hands of people who could test the ability to block the reader. The patient cautious approach is what I expect from people who are rightly concerned about security. All you did was ask a bunch of people, almost all of whom don't know for sure and none of whom have a device they can test. So really what did you expect?
Unless you just needed to have it on launch day.
There are plenty of accessories out for the 5C and the 5S already so people are testing the device and could have come up with a solution already.
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Again, I suggested using a sticker myself - but I guess I can write that 50 more times here and you still wouldn't get it.