Privacy and the 5s - Government can get a copy of your fingerprint?

[cavemanit]

Just read this article:
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/th...nner-has-shady-government-ties-anonymous-says

Aren't you worried that the government can possibly create a fingerprint database that pulls a feed from your device and can be used to track your every movement?

 

[steve-p]

No, couldn't give a flying ****.

 

[Gincoma]

doesnt mean anything, love how everyone thinks the govt is spying on them and going to raid your pantry at night for some cookies.

 

[verwon]

Wouldn't you kind of feel sorry for any agents that had to check out every single paranoid, ordinary average Joe out there? …..talk about being bored and having good reasons to nap at work!!

My ex-husband works for the feds, they've already got mine from the security check…..I'm of no more interest to them now, than I was back then.

 

[Paulywauly]

Nope, because the tech was developed by a military contractor doesn't mean that the US government can get to the scan data on your phone. The article appears to be clutching at straws and whilst im not saying the facts given are wrong, there isn't any technical evidence that it's actually happening.
Firstly, how would they get the scans off the phone and back to the US government? When IOS versions are released devs spend a lot of time taking it apart, looking for hidden features or hints to upcoming products, but so far no one has found any part of the OS which would enable the transmission of fingerprint data, neither has anyone mentioned any trace of IOS sending any data to either government or unknown sources. Both of these implications would be a massive deal and most likely front page news, but so far there is no sign of it. Implying this may be true could also imply Siri (originally developed by DARPA) could also be stealing privacy data and two years on we have no reason to assume it's happening, heck if you look in IOS code you can find Siris web server address.
As far as i can see it, the only real risk of a security breach would be from Apples Server Farm and not from your device and even then, if that's true (and we have no technical evidence for it either) it discounts the relevance of the linked article anyway.
I wouldn't lose any sleep over the possibility

 

[legioxi]

The government already has the fingerprints of many citizens on file. I turned in mine twice, once for a Merchant Marine license and the other time for a CPL. Between government workers, family background checks, licenses, etc... I imagine they have a good head start for a database of fingerprints.

I'm not too concerned if they get them again from my phone. I would be concerned if they had a backdoor into the phone.

 

[U1cracka]

Just read this article:
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/th...nner-has-shady-government-ties-anonymous-says

Aren't you worried that the government can possibly create a fingerprint database that pulls a feed from your device and can be used to track your every movement?

Not worried one bit. Why are people so worried about this if they want your finger print they dont need to get from your phone. People give there finger print when they get there drivers Lic and also cashing a check at a bank they dont have an account at.

 

[wepiii]

I would see this really only being an issue for people who the government already had fingerprints for... Like a most wanted type person. Think how easy it would be to catch someone... "Hey, someone with a matching fingerprint of John A. Escaped Convict just unlocked his phone from this exact GPS location".

 

[TraceyS/FL]

I"m in the system for coaching youth soccer and being in Civil Air Patrol.

I'm good.... lucky for me, i'm an honest person!

 

[seiyamaple]

The government already has probably most of the people's fingerprint. I don't know why make such a big deal about it. Have you been doing something that you're not supposed to, OP? Are you scared? Otherwise I don't know why the concern.

 

[Rogifan]

How does the government get this when the data is stored in a secure enclave on the device?

 

[CTHarrryH]

google and facebook etc. collect more information about you than the government does and people don't seem bothered by that. I'd worry that Google will get ahold of your fingerprints and figure out how to make money on it.

If the gov wants my fingerprints again they can just ask and after the shutdown is over they can tell me where to deliver my hands so they can get them.

 

[dtlee1974]

And even if they were able to get the data out of the secure enclave on the CPU, the data is basically a hash of the fingerprint image anyway. Think of it as an MD5 of your password. You can't recreate a fingerprint image from that hash anymore than you could recover someone's password from the MD5 hash of it.

 

[wepiii]

What if the information was asked for by a court? Like to prove someone was in a certain location at the time of a murder? Or better yet, if you were being accused of something you didn't do, could your fingerprint and GPS location info on your phone possibly provide an alibi?

 

[alent1234]

when i worked for the military, we used to track people as they went to starbucks, lunch, eat out, etc

just because it was so fun. one time we caught this guy at TGI Friday's with his mistress by tracking his phone and credit cards

 

[wepiii]

Tax dollars hard at work lol

 

[dmystic1]

Don't they scan your finger when you get a drivers license? At least in California they do. I'm not worried about it as I work for usps and I have been federally printed.

 

[Mercenary]

The iphone doesn't store your fingerprint. Just meta data.

But, if your still worried I belive this man has all the answers.

 

[joeblow7777]

Just read this article:
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/th...nner-has-shady-government-ties-anonymous-says

Aren't you worried that the government can possibly create a fingerprint database that pulls a feed from your device and can be used to track your every movement?

No.

 

[wepiii]

Don't they scan your finger when you get a drivers license? At least in California they do. I'm not worried about it as I work for usps and I have been federally printed.

Yes, but that doesn't tell anyone where you are. I don't care either way, but there is a difference.

With the fingerprint and GPS combo, if the Feds had access, they could know exactly where you were. As long as you aren't on the run I don't see this being a problem for an ordinary citizen.

 

[scaredpoet]

One continuing problems with this conspiracy theory: TouchID doesn't make the user specify which fingers are being scanned, nor whose fingers. It can be your thumb, index, pinky... the tip of your nose, or your cat's paw.

This means the collection of data the NSA or any government agency would get from TouchID would be pretty dirty. You MIGHT guess that some of the scans might be from the owner of the iPhone, and you could be wrong: one or two could be a wife's or friend's or a pet's scan, and you'd essentially have bad data.

Unfortunately, this type of FUD plays well into the NSA's hands. People are so wound up over whether the NSA is staring at pictures of their fingerprints, that they don't realize the the NSA is actually staring at pictures of their friends, family and associates. That's the data that matters to them. By comparison, all the data they can amass on people from other sources makes being worried what the ridges on your fingers look like seem pretty quaint and outdated.

 

[dazedxar]

No one wants to know what you're are doing or track you at all. Who you think you are? Someone important?

 

[scaredpoet]

One continuing problem with this conspiracy theory: TouchID doesn't make the user specify which fingers are being scanned, nor whose fingers. It can be your thumb, index, pinky... the tip of your nose, or your cat's paw.

This means the collection of data the NSA or any government agency would get from TouchID would be pretty dirty. You MIGHT guess that some of the scans might be from the owner of the iPhone, and you could be wrong: one or two could be a wife's or friend's or a pet's scan, and you'd essentially have bad data.

 

[TehFalcon]

One continuing problem with this conspiracy theory: TouchID doesn't make the user specify which fingers are being scanned, nor whose fingers. It can be your thumb, index, pinky... the tip of your nose, or your cat's paw.

This means the collection of data the NSA or any government agency would get from TouchID would be pretty dirty. You MIGHT guess that some of the scans might be from the owner of the iPhone, and you could be wrong: one or two could be a wife's or friend's or a pet's scan, and you'd essentially have bad data.

THIS.

I have my girlfriends and mine setup so we both can use it.

 

[AppleB]

If you got a SS # why do they need a fingerprint. You file taxes. Why do they need a fingerprint. You got a bank account etc etc. Ever cash a check and put your thumb print on it. Ever have a job.
The internet is full if so much Jersey Devil BS and people believe it just cause its on the net.