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Your fingerprint is stored as a number. The camera identifies repeating patterns, similar to a QR code, which reads like a number. You wouldn't even need a prin

Your fingerprint is stored as a number. The camera identifies repeating patterns, similar to a QR code, which reads like a number. You wouldn't even need a print, if you could spoof the right sequence.

phpisthebest 3y ago
The uniqueness of fingerprints is also disputed by many, and I also suspect the accuracy of these new facial technologies... too much money, too little oversight for me to trust them
- krisoft 3y ago
  > uniqueness of fingerprints is also disputed by many But, who cares? Security at the scales the TSA operates at is not an absolute but probabilistic. What they can do is lower the possibility of accidental mismatches to some acceptable level, and to increase the cost for an attacker. That is all they can do. And they have to do this at scale with acceptable externalities. Yeah, finger prints are not 100% unique, neither are they 100% foolproof, so what?
  - phpisthebest 3y ago
    >>so what? When it is a government agency preventing my free unrestricted travel I think we should have a higher standard and a better response than "so what" There are 2 options here, 1. They fail open meaning "security" is compromised and thus pointless 2. They fail closed meaning they will violate the rights of citizens to freely travel or place undue hardship on them because their systems failed putting the traveler through additional "screening" neither should be acceptable to anyone that values a free society
    - krisoft 3y ago
      > There are 2 options here, Plus obviously the third "on failure we employ more/different scrutiny as a fallback mechanism" which handles the many edge cases while maintaining an acceptable level of security. > They fail open meaning "security" is compromised and thus pointless Only a Sith deals in absolutes.
    - scarface_74 3y ago
      Statistically, what are the chances that they fail open with - someone bought a ticket with someone else’s name - they got through biometric checks where they verify your ID and look at a picture to see if it matches - the scanners fail to detect something dangerous - and the person meant to do something wrong? When biometrics fail, they look at your physical ID

phpisthebest 3y ago

The uniqueness of fingerprints is also disputed by many, and I also suspect the accuracy of these new facial technologies... too much money, too little oversight for me to trust them

krisoft 3y ago
> uniqueness of fingerprints is also disputed by many But, who cares? Security at the scales the TSA operates at is not an absolute but probabilistic. What they can do is lower the possibility of accidental mismatches to some acceptable level, and to increase the cost for an attacker. That is all they can do. And they have to do this at scale with acceptable externalities. Yeah, finger prints are not 100% unique, neither are they 100% foolproof, so what?
- phpisthebest 3y ago
  >>so what? When it is a government agency preventing my free unrestricted travel I think we should have a higher standard and a better response than "so what" There are 2 options here, 1. They fail open meaning "security" is compromised and thus pointless 2. They fail closed meaning they will violate the rights of citizens to freely travel or place undue hardship on them because their systems failed putting the traveler through additional "screening" neither should be acceptable to anyone that values a free society
  - krisoft 3y ago
    > There are 2 options here, Plus obviously the third "on failure we employ more/different scrutiny as a fallback mechanism" which handles the many edge cases while maintaining an acceptable level of security. > They fail open meaning "security" is compromised and thus pointless Only a Sith deals in absolutes.
  - scarface_74 3y ago
    Statistically, what are the chances that they fail open with - someone bought a ticket with someone else’s name - they got through biometric checks where they verify your ID and look at a picture to see if it matches - the scanners fail to detect something dangerous - and the person meant to do something wrong? When biometrics fail, they look at your physical ID