Monday, September 16, 2013

New iPhone Won't Store Fingerprints. I doubt it



The latest iPhone 5S which comes with a fingerprint scanner, won’t store actual images of users’ fingerprints on the device, an Apple spokesman confirmed. This could ease concerns from privacy hawks. However, with the current technoly the NSA has and their blatant disregard on privacy laws, I really doubt they are not collecting fingerprints from this latest technology.

Apple said that the new Touch ID system only stores “fingerprint data,” which remains encrypted within the iPhone’s processor, a company representative said Wednesday. The phone then uses the digital signature to unlock itself or make purchases in Apple’s iTunes, iBooks or App stores.

In practice, this means that even if someone cracked an iPhone’s encrypted chip, they likely wouldn’t be able to reverse engineer someone’s fingerprint.

The iPhone maker has pitched the addition of a fingerprint sensor to its flagship smartphone as a security boost for consumers. But the company also appears conscious of privacy concerns that could arise from storing biometric data on everyday electronics. Fingerprint technology is not new, but still exotic for most customers. Apple appears to want to nip some concerns in the bud.


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