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Apple is sharing your facial wireframe with apps

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Apple is sharing your facial wireframe with apps

#3
I can appreciate the desire to limit the proliferation of permission dialogs, but this seems like a case where the implications are different enough to warrant a separate one from the camera dialog.

This has some similarities to the location permission dialog, which was updated in iOS 11 to differentiate between "allow always" and "allow while using the app." Perhaps the camera permission dialog could be updated to "allow continuous access" and "allow when taking photos."

Re: Apple is sharing your facial wireframe with apps

#4
What’s interesting is that on the previous security method - fingerprint - no data was shared with apps.

If your face is now a security feature and the data is being shared with apps, that sounds like a security leak.

If an app collects your face data, can that data be subpoenaed by a court to attempt to unlock your phone? If a court could work with an outside party to use subpoenaed face data to 3D print your face, could they try to use that to unlock your phone?

I’m satisfied with the fingerprint scanner on my phone. I don’t feel like I need the change in tech. I understand if you’re really concerned about security use a passcode only, but it’s still true that the new face unlock is “differently secure”.

Re: Apple is sharing your facial wireframe with apps

#6
The problem in here is more or less awareness of sharing or how to prevent accidental sharing of face data. I can see sharing to some photo editing app in anonymized fashion being useful for certain things and better than say, using a flat photo from Instagram or Facebook, but sharing faces on social media is a lot more intentional than a small and hidden agree to share with app button.

I think a better solution is when app is specifically requesting face data, there is a 2-3 seconds mandatory decision time with the default option to be off and prompt this decision in a different UI from the classic permission request dialogue. In this way the user knows the request is different And is given time to actually decide before accidentally tapping agree.

Re: Apple is sharing your facial wireframe with apps

#7
I'm honestly less worried about Apple than others. They've at least made some measures to prove that they are willing to go some distance to protect privacy, even losing ground to competitors in voice recognition.

Now thinking about co's like Facebook that not only has access to far more imagery of faces tied to sentiments and moments but have shown time and time again that privacy is a secondary concern AND that they're willing to use any and all that data to actively pursue vulnerable populations [1], I get quite nervous.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/01/facebook-...

Re: Apple is sharing your facial wireframe with apps

#9
So instead of asking Apple API to authenticate a user via FaceID, apps are going to obtain this data themselves and record it forever? I remember Steve talking on stage about how Apple would always make the operating system retain control of sensitive sensors and only give the result to user-approved apps(asking for permission every time). That's all thrown out of the window now?

Re: Apple is sharing your facial wireframe with apps

#10

Notice the deafening silence.

Give it a moment, everyone is in scrum.

Back from my scrum. It will take a lot to move myself away from Apple products, but the continuation of issues from last week isn't helping at all. I don't own the iPhone X, but now it's not even a thought. The entire pitch of face id was that it was x times more secure. You can't just give away that data.
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