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Yeah, things are about to get really tough for separating reality from ruse. With computer-generated-graphics getting realistic enough to "learn" a person's appearance well enough make a actor look exactly like a different, real person, it will soon be possible to have "security camera" footage and fingerprints faked to "prove" that somebody did something that they did not actually do. I am hoping that somebody demonstrates that technological ability to the public before some foreign government or political operative uses it to manipulate public opinion on an important national issue, or, worse, uses it to frame somebody for a crime (s)he did not commit. But, once we have broad recognition that it is possible, what will a jury think of real, not-faked evidence when the defense attorneys are arguing that all evidence against their clients might be faked? Even real DNA can be gathered and transferred to a weapon that the DNA's "owner" never handled.
This new phone used some sort of 3D fingerprint that can read the groove depth or something.
I don't even have a lock on my phone.
Mine have been stolen from OPM TWICE.
Neither do I - because I never put anything into my phone that I can't stand to have known by somebody, somewhere who might have malevolent intent.The problem is that this fingerprint stuff is applicable to far more than cell phones. And, your finger prints can be stolen in many ways. Mine have been stolen from OPM TWICE.
This fake fingerprint thing sounds ominous. However, think about it... someone would need to make a copy of your finger in order to unlock your phone. How on earth would they do this? Knock you unconscious and take prints? Why not just knock you unconscious and put your finger on the phone to unlock it? It all sounds like a tempest in a teapot, if you ask me.
The problem is that fingerprints are now on electronic file for a lot of people. And, those files are stolen way to frequently. So, no need for a crook to have access to your actual fingers. Pretty much anybody that has a security clearance, firearms purchase permit, or any other government identity that requires trust has their fingerprints stored in hackable digital files. And, just about every data system is hackable. Even the Federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has been hacked twice (that we know about, so far). So, all of the data for personnel with top secret clearances is now in the hands of "somebody" who probably has some nefarious intentions. That includes finger prints, bank account numbers, and all of the personal data and family history needed to answer any screening questions.And, then there is the other side of those hacks that the media ignores: if a hacker can take info out, then a hacker can put bad info in. So, fake info can be used to create a trusted identity for a spy or crook. And, your info can be substituted for the info for another person, perhaps a real spy or criminal who is on the loose or about to be. Yeah, that could be detected with good backups and checking software, but is it? Considering how sloppy the security is to begin with, it is hard to believe that the methods to clean-up after security lapses are much better. And, some of those security lapses go undetected for months or even years, so there is a lot of time for somebody to take your fingerprints or whatever and use them to do whatever they want in your name before that possibility is recognized.