To catch a criminal: Apple’s Touch ID could record prints of thieves
Apple’s Find my iPhone, a feature initially introduced to MobileMe customers in 2010, has become an invaluable tool for users who have misplaced (or lost) their iOS device. Now, beyond simply locating your device and wiping it remotely, Apple wants to help authorities identify thieves by capturing biometric data.
According to an update to a previously published patent application, Apple could use the Touch ID sensor on your iPhone to record fingerprints when an iOS device is lost. That means if you’re a criminal in possession of a stolen device and you put your finger to the sensor, the device could potentially record your print and forward that over to investigators.
Also Read:iPhone 6S Plus, Galaxy S7 Edge drowned In Coke. Which Survives?
Before the patent’s update on Thursday, the patent described how Apple devices might also record a thief’s voice (like during a call) or even surreptitiously snap a photo.
Here’s a portion of the patent’s text:
A computing device may determine to capture biometric information in response to the occurrence of one or more trigger conditions. The trigger condition may be receipt of one or more instructions from one or more other computing devices, detection of potential unauthorized use by the computing device, normal operation of the computing device, and so on…The computing device may then provide the stored biometric information for identification of one or more unauthorized users.
The patent was initially filed all the way back in 2010 and recently updated to reflect the possibility of utilizing Touch ID to catch iPhone thieves. With Find my iPhone and features such as Activation Lock, which have been shown to deter thieves, it’s unclear if Apple is seriously entertaining the idea capturing the fingerprints of iPhone thieves.
For that matter, Apple keeps user fingerprints stored in a secure enclave inside of the device, so it isn’t even clear how, under the right circumstances, a thief’s fingerprint could be accessed and potentially shared.
Also Read:This Anti-Gravity iPhone Case lets you go hands-free virtually anywhere
According to an update to a previously published patent application, Apple could use the Touch ID sensor on your iPhone to record fingerprints when an iOS device is lost. That means if you’re a criminal in possession of a stolen device and you put your finger to the sensor, the device could potentially record your print and forward that over to investigators.
Also Read:iPhone 6S Plus, Galaxy S7 Edge drowned In Coke. Which Survives?
Before the patent’s update on Thursday, the patent described how Apple devices might also record a thief’s voice (like during a call) or even surreptitiously snap a photo.
Here’s a portion of the patent’s text:
A computing device may determine to capture biometric information in response to the occurrence of one or more trigger conditions. The trigger condition may be receipt of one or more instructions from one or more other computing devices, detection of potential unauthorized use by the computing device, normal operation of the computing device, and so on…The computing device may then provide the stored biometric information for identification of one or more unauthorized users.
The patent was initially filed all the way back in 2010 and recently updated to reflect the possibility of utilizing Touch ID to catch iPhone thieves. With Find my iPhone and features such as Activation Lock, which have been shown to deter thieves, it’s unclear if Apple is seriously entertaining the idea capturing the fingerprints of iPhone thieves.
For that matter, Apple keeps user fingerprints stored in a secure enclave inside of the device, so it isn’t even clear how, under the right circumstances, a thief’s fingerprint could be accessed and potentially shared.
Also Read:This Anti-Gravity iPhone Case lets you go hands-free virtually anywhere
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