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Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

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Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#131

Post by toufka »

pm24601 wrote: post #78
jcadam wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to disable touch ID on my iPhone out of frustration. It works for me maybe 1 out of 10 times no matter which finger I try to use (my wife has no problem with hers). But I've always had trouble with fingerprint readers. At the DMV, govt ID card office (back when I was in the Army), etc. "Place your finger on the scanner. Nope, try again.. press harder. No, harder." I have no idea what's wrong with my fingers :|

Certain professions have a big problem with fingerprints. Most notable: brick masons. The fingerprints are damaged and smoothed out over the years by acids in the cement and the roughness of the bricks.

Rock climbers too. Finger prints just get worn down.

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#132

Post by pimlottc »

mb0 wrote: post #96
jcadam wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to disable touch ID on my iPhone out of frustration. It works for me maybe 1 out of 10 times no matter which finger I try to use (my wife has no problem with hers). But I've always had trouble with fingerprint readers. At the DMV, govt ID card office (back when I was in the Army), etc. "Place your finger on the scanner. Nope, try again.. press harder. No, harder." I have no idea what's wrong with my fingers :|

I've heard that people with hyperhydrosis have a lot of trouble with biometrics devices as well as smart phones. If your skin is too moist it just kinda gums up the works.

Makes sense, my biggest annoyance with the fingerprint reader is that it doesn't work reliably if your finger is at all wet (like while cooking).

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#133

Post by robomartin »

jenamety wrote: post #24

i'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…

My gym offers a premium membership that, among other things, gives you access to a secondary locke room with private lockers, laundry services, etc. Members access this room through the regular locker room. There's a frosted glass door in back, past the "regular" lockers --in quotes because at $150 a month there's nothing regular about standard membership. To the left of the glass door one finds a retinal scanner.

Yup, these morons are giving a gym more money and their retinal scan to have private lockers and laundry services. I'm sure they feel James Bond-ish by unlocking a door by staring into the little device on the wall.

No thanks, I'll keep my "regular" membership.

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#135

Post by coldtea »

wruza wrote: post #128
swift wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anyone for whom this is a concern should probably consider divorce.

And... why? Which profit do you get from divorce that covers all economic and moral expenses (let's consider family with children)?

You think the problem in that marriage would stop with iPhone purchases?

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#136

Post by threatofrain »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #87
Waterluvian wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Definitely a spectrum. Bike locks are for security, but mainly just to make your bike less convenient than another one nearby. If someone wants into YOUR phone, they'll get it. If someone wants into A phone, a thumbprint may be plenty.

Being widespread is a double-edged sword though. The more people have such an inconvenience-based security, the better they are, but if everyone has bike locks, the thieves simply start carrying bolt cutters with them. We're maybe two or three years before majority of smartphones in use have fingerprint scanners...

I have a very contrary intuition from literature on crime policy, where the presence of detectable security did not lower home robbery rates for the region, but rather shifted it to unprotected homes and neighborhoods, whereas increases in non-visible security systems lowered crime rates for the region, but didn't provide benefits for the home in question.

I recall a similar article on gun ownership in homes, and it noted that gun ownership did not protect any specific home, but rather it decreased home robbery rates for a region.

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#137

Post by inimino »

owenversteeg wrote: post #121
Waterluvian wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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!

Not a parent, and I don't play one on TV, but here's an idea I just had. Why not just get a device with horrible battery life, and tell the kids you can't use it while it charges? I know kids compare how restrictive their parents are all the time ("my dad lets me do x", "my mom only lets me use the tablet for an hour!") but I don't think they compare battery life of devices. And I really doubt any kid would think the…

On the one hand you are setting a boundary for the kid. On the other hand you are declining to do so in favor of building the boundary into the situation. Both approaches have merit, but you have to find ways to handle the first one eventually anyway.

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#138

Post by kedean »

jasonkostempski wrote: post #65
jenamety wrote: post #24

i'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…

The scary part of that trend is that biometrics should not be replacing passwords. User ID, fine, but finger prints are something you have, not something you know.

Even for id's, we need to be careful. They can't be the end-all solution, because they aren't permanent (I know people who have accidentally lost their thumbprints through burning, for instance). Phones today get around that by making you also set a pattern or pin to get in.

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#139

Post by codeddesign »

wruza wrote: post #128
swift wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anyone for whom this is a concern should probably consider divorce.

And... why? Which profit do you get from divorce that covers all economic and moral expenses (let's consider family with children)?

When your first thought in terms of your marriage is economic and moral expenses, you have a bigger issue within your marriage than whatever may be on your phone.

Re: Child uses sleeping mom's thumbprint to buy $250 worth of Pokémon toys

#140

Post by Latty »

jvvw wrote: post #115
Latty wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kids are not addicted in most cases, they are exploring. They don't know what options there are, or how far these things go, they just want to try it. If you present a child with lots of options, they won't stay with one all the time, for sure. My parents were worried because I spent too much time reading, I've known people who's parents were worried because they spent too much time with music, or painting, or with f…

Hmm, some games are definitely addictive. We didn't have too many issues with our kids (3 and 6) and screens until recently when our six year old discovered a particular game (slither.io) which I can definitely say he got addicted to. We finally had to resort to putting time limits on his tablet use as he would scarcely talk or think about anything else and wouldn't come for meals, want to go out anywhere etc.

Sure - if other options are rejected in favour of doing one thing (truly one thing - using one device isn't necessarily one thing, although clearly there are limits to the range of activities on a single device, but worth noting), then there could be an issue.

I'd argue that's relatively rare though - it usually comes down to a lack of better options or a temporary indulgence.

Not saying children can't become hyperfocused on one thing, just that parents tend to claim it's the issue when they aren't giving other options or after what isn't really an excessive amount of time with a thing.

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