Poll: what method do you use for unlocking your phone and are you concerned about the use of biometrics?

Phone Unlocking - how do you do yours?

  • PIN

    Votes: 50 36.0%

  • Password

    Votes: 2 1.4%

  • Fingerprint

    Votes: 105 75.5%

  • Face recognition

    Votes: 47 33.8%

  • Pattern

    Votes: 14 10.1%

  • Other

    Votes: 4 2.9%
  • Total voters
    139
Lysander said:
Would you rather a password leak or fingerprint leak? Can you imagine the ramifications of the latter? At least you can change your password.
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Again, so what? (no offense :) ). Not everything I use, uses biometrics. If it gets leaked and used, then I'd turn it off. If there's more I'd need to do to feel safe again then cross that bridge when I get to it. But really, I personally won't lose sleep until it starts happening to people on a large scale.
 
NutritioN said:
Not everything I use, uses biometrics. If it gets leaked and used, then I'd turn it off.
Click to expand...

So something like this doesn't bother you?

Biostar security software 'leaked a million fingerprints'

As well as fingerprint records, the researchers say they found photographs of people, facial recognition data, names, addresses, passwords, employment history and records of when they had accessed secure areas.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-49343774
 
Lysander said:
And you trust this information?

I cannot find any examples of a data leak, but it comes down to whether you trust Google/Apple with this information and that they're not telling you porkies.
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Fingerprint data is stored onboard the CPU. until somebody manages to pull that data, I trust the system works.
 
Lysander said:
I've used PIN up till now but I'm now thinking of fingerprint unlock because of ease of use, though I'm concerned about my biometric data going to Google. Yes, Google say that doesn't happen, but they would say that. That said, your fingerprints are all over your screen anyway, they could always create a script in the OS which sends that data to them if they wanted.
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If it's anything like biometric 'clocking in' systems I used to support years ago - the actual biometric data is just a series of dots, that get generated form the ridges etc in your fingerprint; the print itself (as in what you'd see on a Police system) is never recorded as anything other than just some dots.
 
Lysander said:

So something like this doesn't bother you?
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Nope! But I guess that's because that's a bucket of so much data that could be held to ransom rather than targeted use. And it's not my personal phone.

I don't believe anything is safe, don't need a news report on the latest leak to renew any fears. It'll be the stuff that isn't reported that sneaks in and disrupts your life.
 
Up until I started redecorating my spare room last week I had used nothing but fingerprint for years. Had to resort back to PIN for the last few days, think I may have sanded my prints off :D
 
Lysander said:
What do you use to unlock your phone?

PIN
Pattern
Password
Fingerprint
Face recognition
Other

I've used PIN up till now but I'm now thinking of fingerprint unlock because of ease of use, though I'm concerned about my biometric data going to Google. Yes, Google say that doesn't happen, but they would say that. That said, your fingerprints are all over your screen anyway, they could always create a script in the OS which sends that data to them if they wanted.

What do other people use here and are you concerned about the use of your biometric data?
Click to expand...

Oh noes Google has my finger prints! lol get a grip. You use Google, they have all your info anyway, what is them having your finger print going to do? worry less about this type of thing, you may live longer!

I use fingerprint > pin
 
Pigeon_Killer said:
Up until I started redecorating my spare room last week I had used nothing but fingerprint for years. Had to resort back to PIN for the last few days, think I may have sanded my prints off :D
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I built some new decking & couldn't get into my banking app for two weeks.

It had smoothed the prints on both hands :D
 
Going to visit my Father in the nursing home is fun. Have to wear a mask, disposable apron and latex gloves. Can't use face recognition and can't use fingerprint, plus the gloves make using the touchscreen impossible.
 
Lysander said:

So something like this doesn't bother you?



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-49343774
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A small company making biometric locks versus two of the largest tech companies in the world... There's also hundreds of security researchers who are constantly attacking and looking for vulnerabilities in both apple and android devices. I'm confident that if there was a vulnerability present, it would likely have been discovered by now, biometric unlock isn't a new feature its been around for a long time now.

JeditOjanen said:
Pattern.

Never use face or fingerprints to secure your phone, especially if you live in the US as you can be legally compelled to unlock it using them.
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No different than the UK then? You can still be legally compelled to provide password/pin/pattern to unlock the phone. I believe there is quite a harsh punishment for refusing to do so. Criminals have to weigh up whether they'd get a lighter sentence from refusing to unlock the phone versus what they'd get from the evidence on the phone.
 
Semple said:
No different than the UK then? You can still be legally compelled to provide password/pin/pattern to unlock the phone. I believe there is quite a harsh punishment for refusing to do so. Criminals have to weigh up whether they'd get a lighter sentence from refusing to unlock the phone versus what they'd get from the evidence on the phone.
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No, it's different to the UK. Here you can be legally compelled to unlock your phone. In the US there's the argument that you have a constitutional right not to be forced to self-incriminate. Providing biometric data isn't self-incriminating as you do that just by walking around, but unlocking your phone is (technically at least) being forced to provide evidence against yourself.
 
Fingerprint / pin for phone, face for tablet. End up using the pin lots as my finger prints are apparently quite shallow (?!). Would love to use face for phone too but Google are asses in that regard.
Not hugely bothered about apple/Google leaking my data... Way bigger things in life to concern myself with.
 
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