Koala bears have fingerprints almost indistinguishable from our own. Those with paranoid concerns about their fingerprint data being collected could simply carry around a live koala bear and get the bear to unlock your phone. Of course if you're right about privacy concerns then he may incriminate you if he goes out robbing house plants or something. If he doesn't want to play ball you may need to get a nice eucalyptus wood trim case for it though he might just chew it then to be honest I've not really thought this through.
I always laugh when i hear these paranoid stories, if people are paranoid then dont get the latest iphone. I remember when Google cars were going around capturing data for google earth etc. 'My house will be robbed as criminals will see how to get in......' people said. Sometimes people sound like their great great grandparents when they saw a TV or radio for the first time. When 'holes in the walls' first appeared to get your money out my grandparents still used cheques fore years as they didnt trust those cards ! Just think people have watched too many X-Files and worry too much about 'big brother' watching them. I dont mind CCTV, makes me feel safer on a friday night when i'm out drinking, i dont mind the government seeing what websites i look at as i dont look at any sick disgusting ones. In the future i'm sure fingerprint recognition will be used for so many things.
I agree fingerprint sensors will pop up all over the place now Apple have shown how it's done. I think people's concerns are where this all leads. I mean nobody wants to see your photos on your phone - if they steal it they just restore it to sell on, so nobody is interested in severing your finger off for a iPhone. But if fingerprints are ever used to get money out at an ATM or buy things in shops it's a slightly different story. My only concern with it on the iPhone is how reliable it is - do you need to ever tap it a second time to get it to work? Does it work with both thumbs? And if someone else merely taps it 10 times can it instawipe the device like 10 wrong 4-digit codes? ;-)
I'm still amazed in the year 2013 how many people still dont seem to backup their iphone. I mean if i lost my phone then i'm not bothered, its all backed up, personal items saved on Dropbox, and its insured. But some people dont seem to ever back it up, just ridiculous But yeah the second fingerprints are used at bank machines then there will be a lot of thieves threatening to cut peoples fingers off if they dont access their account at knifepoint etc. Already hear tons of stories of crooks taking someones card and withdrawing money At our little girls nursery theres a fingerprint sensor to get in, works well. I'm sure they've done tons of testing for the new iphone and it'll work well. Just dont ever burn your finger on something really badly !
I recall reading about an American criminal during the 50s or so. He'd change his fingerprints by transplanting bits of skin from one finger to another. FBI eventually caught him, though.
I read so many annoying comments yesterday surrounding the story about the fingerprint scanner being "hacked". Everybody was chiming in with "fail" and "not so secure after all". Uhh... yes it is. The method used to trick the device was by creating perfect copies of somebody's fingerprint, the same way you'd trick almost every other fingerprint scanner in the world. Apple never claimed to have a more secure system than what already exists, and it's still far, far more of a challenge than hacking someone's PIN or passcode. It's a skilled job that requires a lot of specialized equipment and time. And besides, nothing is unhackable. If an organized gang really wants to get into your phone, they'll do it regardless of the tech securing it. Passwords (and now fingerprint scanners) on phones are more for keeping your close friends and family from prying, not criminal masterminds. If you want to keep it safe from those people, keep it close and don't lose it.
