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Researchers warn of dangers of two-finger pose in photos
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The NII team reportedly was able to copy and extract a fingerprint from a digital photograph that was taken 3 meters form the subject. (Shutterstock/File)
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esearchers from the Japan National Institute of Informatics (NII) have warned of the dangers of fingerprint identity theft from photos of people posing with two fingers or the peace sign.
The fingerprint recognition technology is widely sold to the public for identity verification, such as when accessing a smartphone or tablet and when signing in at the office or school. The spread of high-quality photos on social media platforms displaying the fingerprints of individuals reportedly can jeopardize the privacy of personal information.
NII Researcher Isao Echizen told Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun, “Only by showing the peace sign in a photo, fingerprint [identity] can easily be spread around."
(Read also: Why fingers make handy, if not foolproof, digital keys)
According to Antara news agency, the NII team reportedly was able to copy and extract a fingerprint from a digital photograph that was taken 3 meters form the subject.
Echizen further described to TV Yomiuri that fingerprint data could be recreated or copied by anyone if the image of the fingerprint could be seen clearly with focus and good lighting.
The researchers are developing a transparent film containing titanium oxide, which can be glued to a finger to hide its print. However, such technology is said to be available two years from now. (nik/kes)
