https://www.wired.com/story/detectives-cracked-the-golden-state-killer-case-using-genetics/

My IT guy was raving about using his thumb print to open his phone the other day. I informed him that it is not protected by the 1st amendment. His jaw dropped. Not to mention, I am sure that shit is sent to the government.

If you're going to lock your phone, use a passcode, not biometric data

That seems like odd phrasing. Who doesn't lock their phone?

That seems like odd phrasing. Who doesn't lock their phone?

fair point, I don't know anyone who doesn't lock it.

Still, don't use a fingerprint or retina scan for it

If you're going to lock your phone, use a passcode, not biometric data

I like you guys and all, but there’s some serious tin foil hat shit going on in this thread.

Speaking of which, there are X-Files marathons currently running on BBC America. It’s great to revisit a lot of the stand-alone episodes from the first 4 seasons. All of the alien plot lines kind of bore me.

Well, at least now I’ll be amused every time I unlock my phone with my thumbprint.

What they are referring to is police are legally allowed to unlock your phone through biometric against your will by force. Courts ruled that because the suspect wasn’t compelled to give his password it wasn’t unconstitutional.

I recall a case of a college girl being forced to unlock and then having nudes from her phone texted to other cops and passed around.

And this is why most of America is dumb.

Yeah.. I’ve never been a huge fan of the idea of sharing that info. I’ll trust the shoddy research done by people on my heritage and be okay with the very real possibility that they are wrong.

Gee, I can't quite figure out why I don't have the slightest inclination to send my spit off to some unknown genetics lab in some unknown place in order to get half-assed ancestral information that is just as likely to be completely made up as it is to actually reflect reality.

Speaking of which, there are X-Files marathons currently running on BBC America. It’s great to revisit a lot of the stand-alone episodes from the first 4 seasons. All of the alien plot lines kind of bore me.

Agreed. It makes it much harder to be a serial killer if you do. Not worth losing that.

My IT guy was raving about using his thumb print to open his phone the other day. I informed him that it is not protected by the 1st amendment. His jaw dropped. Not to mention, I am sure that shit is sent to the government.

Agreed. It makes it much harder to be a serial killer if you do. Not worth losing that.

Why would I think it's dangerous?

You really trust the same law enforcement agencies which shoot unarmed civilians (and the family dog), forge evidence, and literally rob more than all burglars combined with this?

Please tell me you're joking. Law enforcement or any agent of government is the last place you should trust giving such sensitive information to.

While I think there is a too much police misconduct that goes unpunished I'm not going to be worried about a DNA scan of a serial killer being caught by a database of DNA.

I don't view the police as the enemy and you do.

They use it today to catch a serial killer, but do you trust police officers to continue to limit it to that? I'd say history has proven that government thugs will sell it to the public as being used for noble purposes and then abuse that power and use it for nefarious purposes.

They use it today to catch a serial killer, but do you trust police officers to continue to limit it to that? I'd say history has proven that government thugs will sell it to the public as being used for noble purposes and then abuse that power and use it for nefarious purposes.