Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Should You Trust Apple to Maintain the Privacy of Your Face Biometrics With Its New iPhone That Unlocks Via Facial Recognition?

The new top-of-the-line iPhone X  that is set to go on sale November 3, includes Face ID authentication technology which is baked into the phone.

 

Apple says:
Face ID data, including mathematical representations of your face, is encrypted and only
available to the Secure Enclave. This data never leaves the device. It is not sent to Apple, nor is it included in device backups. Face images captured during normal unlock operations aren’t saved, but are instead immediately discarded once the mathematical representation is calculated for comparison to the enrolled Face ID data.
Apple also specifies that it has trained a neural network to “spot and resist spoofing” to defend against attempts to unlock the device with photos or masks.

The company goes on to say that the chance of a random person being able to unlock your phone because their face fooled Face ID is approximately 1 in 1M.

What strikes me here is the Apple focus on a "random person," but what about a relative with similar facial features?

  -RW

6 comments:

  1. I believe during the initial launch there was talk about how out of the million a relative has the best shot at fooling their face ID

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  2. What about just printing off a high res picture of the person who phone you are trying to hack into?

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  3. To ask this question is to answer it...

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  4. I answer no. I don't trust Apple. Tech companies typically build in back doors. These big tech companies have to play ball with governments so these back doors end up in government hands.

    Even if I did trust Apple I don't trust the technology to be un-hackable. A good old pass code can be more secure than biometrics. A pass code is more easily changed than your face. You can choose to give up your pass code or not. A ruthless SOB could get access through facial recognition by force by knocking you out or even cutting your head off.

    And what about when you are sleeping? Couldn't a snooping significant other just use the facial recognition when you are snoozing and see if you have been sexting some hotty?

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    Replies
    1. Certainly it makes it easy for the Blue Lives Matter crowd (perhaps that's what you meant by "ruthless SOB"?) to get into your iPhone when shackling you roadside.

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    2. Excellent example. Some of these characters with gunvernment issued costumes, badges and weaponry are the most ruthless SOB's.

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