Comments on: Hackers Protest Biometric Data Use by Publishing German Government Official's Fingerprint!

By: JakeTheSnake

JakeTheSnake — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:14:55 +0000

can you say "Burn" I love seeing people screw with "the man"

By: Sid Morrison

Sid Morrison — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:44:37 +0000

Ausgezeichnet! More power to them! The rising obsession to collect and maintain biometric databases on everyone for even frivolous reasons is pretty frightening. It not inconceivable that in the futrue (if not already!) it will be possible to clone fingerprints and leave phony evidence at crime scenes to implicate others. The day is coming if it's not here yet. Í know of a dentist who thought it would be "high tech" to sign people in at her office via a thumbprint scanner. Now they have absoluutely no real NEED for such security (what's wrong with just telling the receptionist you have arrived?), but now they have a thumbprint database on all the patients. I don't think they intend anything sinister themselves, but ne'er-do-wells could certainly know the dentist keeps such info and steal it for some purpose (breaking into a biometric-controlled military area, falsifying identity, &c.).

By: ted

ted — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:13:55 +0000

I think they need to get his pee, so they can distribute his DNA now.

By: Christophe

Christophe — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:54:37 +0000

@jessleigh : it's quite common now, you could find them, for example, on Lenovo laptops.

I like the CCC. They really show us that there no such thing as digital security.

By: Alannah

Alannah — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:13:46 +0000

"Engling says he is not worried that the Chaos Computer Club may have violated German laws on privacy by publishing the fingerprint. As he points out, the Home Ministry itself argued when electronic passports were launched that there is hardly any difference between a passport photo and a digital fingerprint. The club says that it also checked into the legality of the matter before publication: "Our lawyer says there is no way to go against the publication of the fingerprint in Die Datenschleuder."

Good point. I'd love to follow the case.

By: medussa

medussa — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:12:18 +0000

This is excellent! When I lived there, they had all they newest hi-tech gear to invade your privacy and track terrorists, none of which they successfully caught. And if yopu questioned their means, you were instantly credited with terrorist sympathizing...
This is first class.

By: jessleigh

jessleigh — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:05:30 +0000

Okay. The magazine included a "thin film" that you apparantly tape (?!?) on your finger. They encourage everyone to use his fingerprint each time they go through a fingerprint scanner. I'm so confused. You mean, it would not be noticed by someone taking your fingerprints? Or is this just with digital scanners? Who in the world has digital fingerprint scanners? I've never seen one in my life. Of course, I am from a small town in NC.

By: sarahstallard

sarahstallard — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:38:07 +0000

good article, but sadly not able to read it with that annoying ad flashing green, making me feel sick.

Are those ads legal? Don't they trigger epileptic fits?

I think I'll have to lay off this site for a while....