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Flashing
the "peace" sign in photos could lead to fingerprint data being
stolen, Japanese researchers said ©Mustafa Ozer (AFP)
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AFP
report continues:
Research
by a team at Japan's National Institute of Informatics (NII) says so, raising
alarm bells over the popular two-fingered pose.
Fingerprint
recognition technology is becoming widely available to verify identities, such
as when logging on to smartphones, tablets and laptop computers.
Bu
the proliferation of mobile devices with high-quality cameras and social media
sites where photographs can be easily posted is raising the risk of personal
information being leaked, reports said.
The
NII researchers were able to copy fingerprints based on photos taken by a
digital camera three metres (nine feet) away from the subject.
"Just
by casually making a peace sign in front of a camera, fingerprints can become
widely available," NII researcher Isao Echizen told the Sankei Shimbun
newspaper for an article published Monday.
"Fingerprint
data can be recreated if fingerprints are in focus with strong lighting in a
picture," Echizen also told Yomiuri TV.
He
added that advanced technology was not necessary and anyone could easily copy
fingerprints.
But
NII says it has developed a transparent film containing titanium oxide that can
be attached to fingers to hide their prints, the reports said.
The
film prevents identity theft but does not interfere with fingerprints being
effective in identity verification, the Sankei Shimbun reported.
But the technology would
not be ready for another two years, the paper said.
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