Iris Scanning: The Newest Addition to Apple's Biometric Roadmap?

[Traverse]

The future is here.

I still am not completely comfortable with my phone storing my biofootprint.

 

[Michael Scrip]

If my password leaks out, I'll change it. If my fingerprint gets stolen... well, plastic surgery. If my iris ID is compromised...

Just like how Apple's fingerprint scanner also requires your passcode... iris scanners will also require a 2nd form of authentication.

So let's say someone manages to steal a copy of your iris. They still won't have the 2nd factor.

But I'm guessing it will be REALLY difficult to obtain a copy of your iris. That's some Mission Impossible stuff.

 

[jm001]

Obviously, they're only doing this because Samsung is rumored to be working on it for their upcoming Galaxy S models...

See what I did there?

Apple's not going through with it because Samsung said they were not going to use it on the S5.

See what I did THERE?

 

[DarwinOSX]

can apple stop scanning my body please?

Exactly how does Apple do this now? Do they put a gun to your head and force you to use a fingerprint scanner?
This article is totally speculative which us apparent to anyone who has read it before commenting. Also in the security world retina scans are far more useful and reliable than iris scanning which the author of this article does not seem to know.

 

[DarwinOSX]

Iris scans have been fooled with contacts which is why retina scans are used.

Just like how Apple's fingerprint scanner also requires your passcode... iris scanners will also require a 2nd form of authentication.

So let's say someone manages to steal a copy of your iris. They still won't have the 2nd factor.

But I'm guessing it will be REALLY difficult to obtain a copy of your iris. That's some Mission Impossible stuff.

 

[iCore24]

Useless. We already have to press the home button to wake up the device, just keep your finger for a half second more and it unlocks it. And there are more scenarios when the iris scanner won't work then touch I.D. You can't use it at night, and has to be facing you directly to see your eye. So if your laying on a couch or using an iPad face up on a table, it probably won't see you.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Iris scans have been fooled with contacts which is why retina scans are used.

Yes... I've heard that retina scans are more secure than iris scans. But let's be practical about it.

Let's say Apple uses an iris scanner instead of the more secure retina scanner. Is that something a cell phone thief is gonna bother with? Contact lenses?

I don't have any kind of eye scanner on my phone... and I'm not worried about it. I'm settling for a fingerprint scanner with a passcode to fall back on.

Most phones don't even have that much.

 

[Glassed Silver]

What body appendage is next Apple? Nooooooo, not that!

You can already use that with TouchID...........

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[charlituna]

Seriously?

Zero evidence apple is interested given. Not a patent or anything.

So what's the proof. Samsung has been talking about it so Apple simply must be interested also. Seems like that's all there is to this.

 

[Michael CM1]

Now that's a retina display.

 

[PollyK]

Hahahaaa, oh the irony. So all the loyalists that were calling Apple's rumored products basis for Samsung's existing products must've prepared themselves for the expected onslaught. What a joke.

 

[WhackyNinja]

We get it. It's Siri backwards.

Actually no that wasn't the joke

 

[cclloyd]

Actually no that wasn't the joke

That was actually my bad. I forgot sarcastic tones don't carry well over the internet

 

[macs4nw]

Agreed. For now finger print scanning and soon iris scanning are optional giving the user the option to use their passcode instead but how long will it be until these are mandatory?…..

Welcome to a brave new world, where soon your every action and move will be monitored and recorded, and if need be, used against you, to control you.

Dark, I know, but the basics for such a future, are well under way. The phrase "knowledge is power" has never been more pertinent than it is today. With all the conveniences technology has brought us, there is a flip side, and the shift of control by the individual to those in power, is the unfortunate byproduct.

This is one steamroller from which we seemingly cannot escape.

 

[Piggie]

It';s going to look pretty odd holding a (by then) large Mobile photo or tablet right against your face is it not ?

 

[Tech198]

Only took a year didn't it ?

Apple's feeling the pinch that TouchID failed them in several areas as in its not reliable...

Lets see how this stacks up shall we ?

Apple is always known for something as least... Stuffing up

It's either Apple's making lots of mistakes, or it may be on the tipping point that *other* companies can do better... While Apple has feature sets.

FYI. That eye is freking me me out. look at those blood vessels...

 

[Bare]

Thanks to Macrumors for this in-depth and informative look at iris scanning. Setting aside the question of if and when this will be incorporated into Apple products and the complications thereof, this is a well done article.

 

[Flood123]

No Thanks. Not a feature I need or want. I am sure this would be great for some people that deal with with highly sensitive material at work.

 

[BMcCoy]

A few mistakes in that article.

For example "but some scanners can overcome this with a flash of light designed to make a pupil dilate"

light makes pupils constrict, not dilate.

 

[GRuizMD]

You are right with allergies, but most probably tinted lenses would not cause any trouble if they are transparent.

I have been involved in some research projects related to iris scanning and possible medical conditions changing the recognition results. The most common recognition algorithm (John Daugman's IrisCode) has proved to be very robust.

Once the image is taken, the first step is to recognize the limits of the iris (white sclera on the outside, black pupil in the inside). The remaining ring is the "unrolled" (transformation to polar coordinates) to give a rectangle. The clever thing here is that after this it does not matter if the pupils are dilated or contracted.

The colour information in the resulting image is not significant. IrisCode can be calculated from colour images, but especially very dark eyes give better contrast in NIR (slightly longer wavelength than visible light). Also, with NIR a flash can be used without blinding the person to be recognized.

IrisCode does not even need to see the complete eye. Very often eyelids make it impossible to see the complete annular area. The required resolution is also quite small, a few hundred pixels across the eye is enough. (Which leads to the conclusion that the iris patterns can potentially be stolen from many photographs. In this sense retinal recognition is safer in high-security applications.)

It seems that very few eye-related diseases change the recognition results. However, there are conditions which change the way pupils react to light, so the "alive/dead" recognition may not be very robust.

Iris recognition is probably the most practical biometric recognition along with fingerprints. One of its advantages is better compliance due to it being a non-contact measurement. In the smartphone environment it does not necessarily need any extra hardware, which is a definite plus.

Thanks for the explanation. How if the resolution is low and it can be stolen from photographs is at the same time safer?

 

[the-msa]

its a gimmick and no ones cares.

 

[b166er]

One of the points of eye scanners is that they are bolted down near an entrance. In this case, you could scan someones eye with a mobile phone. It's not nearly as secure or practical in a phone.

Cool idea, but I don't see the benefits. While this article sights physical contact as being a drawback of Touch ID, we tend to hold our phones when we use them.

 

[thelonelylimo]

*removed*

 

[ratz]

can apple stop scanning my body please?

They can only scan your body if you are using their devices which is not forced on you.

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One of the points of eye scanners is that they are bolted down near an entrance. In this case, you could scan someones eye with a mobile phone. It's not nearly as secure or practical in a phone.

Cool idea, but I don't see the benefits. While this article sights physical contact as being a drawback of Touch ID, we tend to hold our phones when we use them.

Uhh your comment doesn't make any sense. They are bolted down because that's if they are being used to grant or deny entrance to a physical location. The way they would be used on a phone is the same as a password or fingerprint is, to grant access to the device or maybe to log into sites or as a payment authorization. You honestly don't get the concept??

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its a gimmick and no ones cares.

Gimmick??
are you kidding?

I would love to have a very secure way to log into my device, log into sites or apps and maybe make payments.

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No Thanks. Not a feature I need or want. I am sure this would be great for some people that deal with with highly sensitive material at work.

You wouldn't want a way to securely and EASILY handle device, website, services and apps logins that doesn't require you to remember long passwords?

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Welcome to a brave new world, where soon your every action and move will be monitored and recorded, and if need be, used against you, to control you.

Dark, I know, but the basics for such a future, are well under way. The phrase "knowledge is power" has never been more pertinent than it is today. With all the conveniences technology has brought us, there is a flip side, and the shift of control by the individual to those in power, is the unfortunate byproduct.

This is one steamroller from which we seemingly cannot escape.

There's always cash.

 

[ahoover]

Look on the app store for eyeD for iPhones with a flash for secure storage of passwords on your iPhone. Locally stored and encrypted. Still the flash is annoying.