Apple’s Fingerprint ID May Mean You Can’t ‘Take the Fifth’

It really makes no sense. Fingerprint sensors have been built into Android phones (Atrix 4G comes to mind) since 2011 and in Windows laptops for many, many years. The sheer amount of articles discussing the Touch ID is actually astounding when you remember that Google's Face Unlock was cracked originally by a _photo_ of the user and then cracked with _two_ photos of the person. There are real, actually implemented cracks for Android's lock screen but that's been grossly overshadowed by the conceptual idea of possibly cracking Apple's Touch ID.

The phone company can testify that the phone corresponds to a given cell number. Other people can testify that they spoke to the defendant on that number. No one piece of evidence exists in a vacuum; all the pieces of evidence combine to paint a picture.

Sure you could try to lie by making up stories about how the phone wasn't really yours, but it's hard to get all the other evidence to line up with a lie. This is a GOOD thing; the protection against self-incrimination isn't intended to help people get away with murder, it's intended to protect the accused from being compelled to help the government prosecute them.

That's just FUD. And saying baseless things like "that's never how it works", that's just fearmongering, not contributing to the conversation. It doesn't even make sense.

There are millions (hundreds of thousands? you get my point) of fingerprint readers out there. Suddenly Apple builds one in, an additional feature, and people start inventing conspiracy theories. People are completely confusing real issues (recent NSA disclosures) with totally imaginary ones. It's getting tiring.

For years Apple has been denying direct access to finger-print reader, built-in behind your device's screen, but recent revelation shows that the backdoor is being widely used by the US government.

- "I didn't know they can do that, but hey if it keeps us safe then why not?" - says Jennifer Stone, Apple products fan. - "You know after we put the boots on Syrian grounds there has been so much terror retaliation on our soil that probably at some point they would require to finger-print every American, but this way thanks to my Apple device, the government has actually saved me a trip to the local police department for a full finger-print read. Its all good, you know. yolo!".

EDIT: breaking news September 11, 2020. A North Korean terrorist organization successfully hacked into NSA mainframe and downloaded over 25 terrabytes of data related to american's social security records and credit card information. they also obtained driver's license database as well as DNA and fingerprinting records for over 300 million americans. The US government is going into full shut down; starting tomorrow everyone will start receiving new credit cards, new social security numbers as well as new drivers license. Since DNA and fingerprinting information can be reproduced and faked quite cheaply, starting tomorrow no criminal case in the US legal system will be tried based on the evidence introduced from said sources.

- When 911 happened, we had terrorist using our infrastructure, our planes, our airports and our buildings to cause terror. Who would have known that 20 years later storing detailed information on 300 million Americans under one roof in one building would be so hazardous to the National Security. - said independent security contractor.