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Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys
21–30 of 141 posts
Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
The mom? I have a small child that's been coming up to me with my phone and trying to nonchalantly guide my finger to unlock it since she was 4. She's never done it in my sleep (that I know of), but I don't for a second doubt she'd be able to do it if she was motivated to.
As an upcoming parent, these are the things that scare me. Where my kids start exhibiting what look disturbingly like addictive behaviours. Is this just how kids naturally are, or are screens just so compelling? I remember loving the TV as a kid but recall that somehow, magically, my parents kept me off it outside TV hours without use of a password. I need to figure out that secret before its too late!
Yes. Parent of 6 year old here. Screens are the modern day crack cocaine of childhood.
Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is the problem with "news" stories like this... and why I hate them. We would have no way of knowing if this happened or not. It's plausible, but plausible isn't the same as "it happened". One could say at best its value is as a cautionary tale to other parents, but I'm willing to bet that if you're a parent you've probably seen the potential for this sort of thing develop in your child already... of course that…
Relevant (a statistical look at internet stories): http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/12/12/might-people-on-the-int... (Autoplay is the scourge of the internet and sites that autoplay audio or video should be treated the same as, say, sites that use the blink tag)
> sites that autoplay audio or video should be treated the same as, say, sites that use the blink tag
At least didn't cause my browser to spontaneously start making noises.
Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys
#24i'm seeing two (obvious) bigger picture trends here that this story reinforces.
1. Digital authentication for purchasing is moving towards non-transferable biometrics ( i cant divulge my thumbprint like i can my pin )
2. Goods of all kinds are being delivered faster
The scary thing for me is that thieves love goods delivered quickly, so they can turn them quickly, and cut down on their ability to get intercepted.
So what does the 'mugging' or identity theft of tomorrow look like? Am I taken at my doorstep and forced to make purchases from my phone with my thumb, while a drone arrives 10 minutes later with 10 iPads OR do I have my phone stolen and thumb lopped off with tree clippers so the fraudster has more time? What happens as retinal scanning becomes more common? What if it is my blood that unlocks my finances & credit?
edit: i've heard thumbs are available for purchase
Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys
#25> ordered 13 Pokemon gifts [...] was only allowed to return four of the items What's up with that? Isn't there a law that limits liability for unauthorized purchases to $50? (And don't most banks and credit cards just make it $0?)
Under the FCBA your liability for purchases made with a lost or stolen credit card is limited if you report the use to your card issuer in a timely manner. There's no requirement that Amazon voluntarily refund all your kids' purchases, and I'm not sure that unauthorized use of an Amazon account counts as theft of the physical credit card in this case anyway.
Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys
#26I get relatively annoyed about the facile pedantry of this argument, but this is exactly the poster case for it, so here goes: fingerprints are usernames, not passwords.
Huh, I've actually never looked at them from that perspective, but it makes total sense.
Just make sure to use a fingerprint manager and rotate your fingerprints on a regular basis.
Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys
#27"used her mother's thumb to unlock a phone and open the Amazon app as mom napped on the couch" Or she made it up.....
This is the problem with "news" stories like this... and why I hate them. We would have no way of knowing if this happened or not. It's plausible, but plausible isn't the same as "it happened". One could say at best its value is as a cautionary tale to other parents, but I'm willing to bet that if you're a parent you've probably seen the potential for this sort of thing develop in your child already... of course that…
"and once upon a time that sort of thing [autoplay video/audio] was avoided"
It was? I remember websites showing off their ability to make your browser automatically play background music as early as the late 90's / early 00's.
Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys
#28I get relatively annoyed about the facile pedantry of this argument, but this is exactly the poster case for it, so here goes: fingerprints are usernames, not passwords.
I disagree. Fingerprints are privacy locks, not security locks. The lock in your bathroom isn't meant to secure the bathroom. It's just a way to ensure that people get the message, "please don't enter". A fingerprint on a phone is a way of saying the same thing. This phone isn't meant for common use, please don't enter.
I mostly cringe at the argument I quoted because it is often misapplied due to how we have historically misapplied passwords.
A username is an identity. Historically due to the difficulty of verifying identities online, we have used passwords as a way to do so. And when all we need to do is verify an identity or control basic access levels (the bathroom lock!), a fingerprint is absolutely good enough. But a password is more authorization than authentication: requiring a password is appropriate when you need a conscious decision, not mere identification. Such as for paying for Pokémon toys.
So essentially what I'm saying is that I agree with you.
Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys
#29I get relatively annoyed about the facile pedantry of this argument, but this is exactly the poster case for it, so here goes: fingerprints are usernames, not passwords.
I disagree. Fingerprints are privacy locks, not security locks. The lock in your bathroom isn't meant to secure the bathroom. It's just a way to ensure that people get the message, "please don't enter". A fingerprint on a phone is a way of saying the same thing. This phone isn't meant for common use, please don't enter.
That's a really nice distinction.
It feels like there's a bit of a spectrum, though. The lock on a houses door won't prevent a determined criminal, but it sends a very strong signal and is inconvenient to break.
Perhaps we should thing of there as being multiple dimensions to locks, such as security, signaling, effort to circumvent, and convenience? (Perhaps also conscientiousness in disabling, in relation to @saosebastiao's point.)
Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe, but on the other hand, most people don't keep $250 in their wallets. Having an extra verification mechanism for expensive purchases seems appropriate.
Depends how likely this scenario is. Adding security to a high risk, low occurence event can be seen as wasteful. Also before this technology, people kept credit cards in their wallet, which suffered the same fate from house hooligans. And before credit, people did keep $250 in their wallet.
Well, the security could just be to ask for one's password again.
I guess the credit card part is true; around here most people have debit cards with PINs, and which can't be used remotely, so it's unlikely a six-year-old could use it without their parent's consent. Then again, around here those parents would have the legal right to return all those purchases.