5 ms·

Police can compel people to provide biometrics to unlock their devices, but passwords can be forgotten.

• Gigachad 4y ago
  This isn’t true in most of the world and is even questionably true in the US
  • phpisthebest 4y ago
    It will remain questionable in the US until it reaches the Supreme Court. IMO is clearly a violation of the 5th amendment, but the Bill of Rights in the US has been soo watered down at this point they may not even be considered rights any more....
    • NoGravitas 4y ago
      4th amendment, I think. Regardless, given the current composition of the Court, I wouldn't hold your breath for the situation to improve.
      • phpisthebest 4y ago
        One could make that case, but 4th allows for searches with a warrant I would say 5th because divulging the contents of ones mind is testimony which one should not be compelled to do, the 5th profits you from being a witness against yourself, reveling a password is being a witness against yourself
      • chipsa 4y ago
        Fifth: the password is testimony. It's searching their things, but the warrant issued by the court means that it's likely a reasonable search (ergo, not a violation of the 4th).
• dewey 4y ago
  That doesn't always work out that well for the person "forgetting" the password though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_disclosure_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_disclosure_law
  • patrec 4y ago
    Exactly, this depends a lot on jurisdiction. I seem to remember that there are some places where you could basically spend the rest of your life in jail if you forget (with or without scare-quotes) your passport.
    • tirwander 4y ago
      Yeah... It's like child support laws here where I live (never had to pay child support, have a friend that is a lawyer). They can hold you indefinitely until you come up with what they need. Forgot the password? Ah well, how convenient! We have this place just for you to sit and hopefully.one day remember! Child support here, while I agree it should be being paid but people can run into hard times, is sort of like this but more ridiculous. If you are.behind on child support, they jail you indefinitely until you can pay it.... But you are in jail indefinitely and likely have lost your job if you had one. So....
  • digisign 4y ago
    That's a choice however, assuming you know it.
• JBiserkov 4y ago
  on iPhone, you can press the `power` and `volume down` buttons for a few seconds and Face ID is disabled until you enter the code.
  • cassianoleal 4y ago
    Volume up works too.
    • JBiserkov 4y ago
      You are right. I incorrectly assumed that since `power` + `volume up` takes a screenshot, it wouldn't work, but I just tried it, and holding them for a few seconds does lock the phone too.
      • cassianoleal 4y ago
        Clicking power 5 times also seems to work!
  • ascagnel_ 4y ago
    Similarly, tapping the power button five times in close succession will put an iPhone into "emergency mode", which (a) brings up a screen with prominent buttons to call 911 or your emergency contact and (b) disables biometrics until the PIN is provided.
  • NoGravitas 4y ago
    On Android, this is (usually, vendors may vary) hold down `power`, then tap "Lockdown" on the screen. I do like the fact that on Apple you can do it without interacting with the screen.
• NoGravitas 4y ago
  In the US, the idea isn't that the password can be forgotten, but that passwords are protected speech, which can't be compelled. This legal theory hasn't been fully tested, though — I wouldn't depend on it unless it was upheld by the Supreme Court, but I'd expect this Court to give the police absolutely anything they want.