Natanson said she does not use biometrics for her devices, but after investigators told her to try, “when she applied her index finger to the fingerprint reader, the laptop unlocked.”
Use biometric security at your own risk.
Just don’t. No pussyfootin’ around. Every single person the US has access to is a possible “suspect” for anything it claims.
Act like it, citizens. Protect yourself, then help others to do likewise.✊🏼
So tired of the “if you’re not doing anything wrong, then you have nothing to hide” and “if you care too much about privacy, then you seem suspicious” lines.
People have given away their own data security little by little, and the surveillance state is already cooked into most of our hardware. I’ve raised a fuss about it all along the way, and people always thought I was some weirdo doomsday conspiracy theorist, or hiding something on my hard drives…
Even then, why not just use the wrong finger(s) enough times to disable biometrics there too?
They “assisted” her to put her finger on the fingerprint reader (i.e., grabbed her hand and forced her finger onto it).
Ah no good then :/
That’s why I unlock my phone with my genitals.
The only thing of mine that uses biometrics is my phone, and that is very easy to put into lockdown mode.
Six presses on the power button and iPhones disable biometrics. I believe for most threat models, biometrics is better than typing a passcode, between the hotspots of fingerprints and shoulder surfing risk. Lock out biometrics before sleeping or other leaving unattended scenarios if raids are a risk
Not sure about the laptops; probably best to do a password there.
Biometrics are an issue because in most jurisdictions (not just the US but globally), you can’t be coerced to provide your password/passcode - but absolutely nothing stops LE from forcing you to provide biometric data to unlock the device.
That’s the point of the biometric lockout. Most people are not in a situation where they can be compelled at any second to unlock their device; however if they’re pulled over or on community patrol, they can press six times and it disables the biometrics.
Just to clarify and expand a bit: It’s 5 presses not 6, and you can do it in your pocket because it gives you a haptic feedback signal when it works, of a quick vibration in a unique pattern.
It’ll also trigger a call to 911, which is gonna be hard to disable in your pocket
Edit: this is configurable behavior
No it doesn’t. It just locks the screen and requires passcode. It’s the same thing that happens if you hold power and volume to bring up the emergency call or power off screen.
I just tested on my iPhone and it does. Guessing it’s a setting.
… and after checking it is indeed a setting. Not sure if I turned that on or if it was on by default.
Which setting is it?
Emergency SOS, few different settings in there that change the behaviour
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It depends on what your risk profile looks like. Sure, from a generalized risk standpoint punching in a number is vulnerable to physical snooping, but for folks who live in police states the greater risk is your information being accessed by people who physically have you in custody and can physically force you to use your biometrics to unlock a device.
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On pixel it’s double tap the home screen.
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between the hotspots of fingerprints and shoulder surfing risk
If ICE is close enough to you to shoulder surf you, they are close enough to manhandle you, shove you and “”“assist”“” you into touching your privates (aka biometrics).
That would fall under the scenarios in which you should have your phone locked out.
turning the phone off also disables the biometrics if you turn it on again, it requires whatever lockout method you used previously
on Android, you can Press and hold the power button. a menu with 4 options will appear, the top right is the lockdown.
What’s the difference between lockdown and just rebooting your phone (putting it into the first-run state)?
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Do they return the device afterwards like “oh well, here ya go then” durp durp. Or do they keep it “for evidence” out of spite?
Why would they give you your shit back? They’re cops, not humans.
Paywalled.
If you just want to learn about Lockdown Mode, here ya go:
In case anyone is wondering what Lockdown Mode on Apple Devices does (it’s not just disabling biometrics): https://support.apple.com/en-gb/105120
Isn’t the Washington Post state media now anyway?
when Jeff Bezos bought them and began to interfere with their editorial independence, they certainly lost integrity
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Why is the FBI searching journalist’s devices?
Oh wait, it’s 2026. Yeah, that tracks…
