4 ms·
There is no difference between a cop pressing a finger against a fingerprint reader to unlock a phone to gather evidence, and a cop pressing a finger against an
by kilo_bravo_3 7y ago
There is no difference between a cop pressing a finger against a fingerprint reader to unlock a phone to gather evidence, and a cop pressing a finger against an inkpad (or scanner) to collect a fingerprint to compare to one found on an object or surface found at a crime scene.
If law enforcement suspects your fingerprints are on a crowbar found at the scene of a bank robbery, they tell a judge, present their evidence, and get a court order for you to press your finger on a fingerprint scanner.
If law enforcement suspects your fingerprint will unlock your phone and your phone as evidence of a crime on it, they tell a judge, present their evidence, and get a court order for you to press your finger on a fingerprint reader.
Nothing is broken.
- jrs95 7y agoIt’s not just your phone, and a warrant isn’t always needed thanks to this precedent. Police are able to search without a warrant under many circumstances. For example, they could pull you over, give their dog a command to “hit” on your car, claim the dog smells drugs to search your vehicle, and force anyone in the vehicle to unlock their phones if they’re using biometric security.
- kofejnik 7y agoI don't think it works like that in a traffic stop without a warrant
- ameister14 7y agoThe difference is in scope. So if you open a person's phone, you can potentially access their correspondence, browsing history, banking history, location history, etc. If you take someone's fingerprint to match against a fingerprint you already have, all you get is confirmation of something you suspect.