iPhone's convenient new fingerprint recognition system.

[TalkingDog]

[hlthe2b]

1. That's is one reason I've never chosen to activate on laptops...

besides the fact those systems I've encountered fail to recognize about half the time...


I look forward to some word from Apple as to what measures they intend to take to prevent NSA obtaining this additional intrusive information from all of us (even if I take any such explanation with a total grain of salt).

[Nye Bevan]

2. They have already said that your fingerprint will only be stored on your phone,

and not uploaded anywhere.

I'm guessing that you're one of those people who snips your name and address off catalogs prior to disposing of them.

[hlthe2b]

3. Yup, I certainly do... Identity theft is no laughing matter.

And, what Apple has not said is whether or not they can retrieve the information, even if not doing so routinely:

Teresa Brewer, an Apple spokeswoman, didn’t say whether the company could gain access to the fingerprint data. “All fingerprint information is encrypted and stored securely in the Secure Enclave inside the A7 chip on the iPhone 5s; it’s never stored on Apple servers,” Brewer said in an e-mail yesterday.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-13/fingerprint-reading-iphone-seen-as-protection-against-nsa.html

[Nye Bevan]

4. If you're that concerned, you should probably never use such a feature. It's optional, anyway (nt)

[hlthe2b]

7. Not just me concerned. Senator Franken "is on the case"....

Of course he may just be paranoid as well...

Al Franken Disturbed By New iPhone Feature

Sen. Al Franken: iPhone Fingerprint Scanner Raises 'Significant Privacy Questions'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/20/al-franken-iphone-fingerprint_n_3961852.html

....Franken added that a fingerprint uniquely identifies its owner, unlike a string of numbers and letters.

"Let me put it this way: if hackers get a hold of your thumbprint, they could use it to identify and impersonate you for the rest of your life," he wrote. Franken's office released the letter to the media Friday.

Even before the new iPhone 5S was released Friday, hackers have been competing on a website to see who could be the first to "reliably and repeatedly" break into the new phone by lifting prints. Researchers and a venture capital firm who created the online contest are offering more than $13,000 -- as well as alcohol and Bitcoins, a virtual currency -- to the first person to fool the new fingerprint scanner, according to a website that organized the contest.

[MineralMan]

5. Your choice, of course.

And, you needn't buy an expensive iPhone, either.

Choice is good.

[SheilaT]

6. My biggest fear is that someday I will no longer be able to get

a stupid phone. You know, the kind that just makes and receives phone calls? That's all I personally need, and I live in fear of the day they're phased out entirely.

[Nye Bevan]

8. I think there will always be demand for the Jitterbug.