PC Magazine - USA (2020-01)

Given that potential, I fear that Face ID, Face Unlock, and similar facial-

recognition technologies are training us to be comfortable with our faces

being scanned. We shouldn’t ever become comfortable with that.

BIOMETRICS ARE GOOD, ACTUALLY

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see that companies have avoided many of them. Apple and Google both

have taken steps to ensure that biometric data is abstracted and secured,

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And although it’s far easier for law enforcement to compel you to submit

to a biometric scan than to reveal a password—both in a legal and

logistical sense—to Google and Apple’s credit, each includes a mode to

lock biometric scanning for a set period of time and instead require a

traditional password.

Despite concerns, I’m for biometric authentication. Biometrics are easier

for people to use than strong passwords and are also far safer than easily

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biometrics to mobile devices has meant people are locking their phones,

which secures their accounts and data and allows everything to be safely

wrapped in encryption. It’s a huge overall win for security and privacy.

The problem is that newer isn’t necessarily better. The humble

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many other mobile devices is, to my mind, the more elegant solution. It’s

hard to trigger accidentally, it’s an easily recognizable signal of intent,

and it’s secure. Why did we move away from those? I suspect that edge-

to-edge screens have a lot to do with it.

I don’t know what the best strategy is for incorporating biometrics in an

all-screen world, but I do know that I won’t ever be buying a device that

requires my face be scanned.

[email protected]

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