With fingerprint-reading technology now being implemented in more and more smartphones, rulings like the one last week really get under people’s skin.
Last Tuesday, a Virginia judge ruled that police officers can force a suspect to unlock a smartphone using that phone’s fingerprint scanner, reports The Wall Street Journal. This ruling has many privacy advocates worried that fingerprint and biometric tech on cell phones will become a loophole for police abuse.
Before you chuck your new phone in the trash, check out our five level-headed takeaways from this ruling:
1. As a General Rule, Cops Still Can’t Search a Cell Phone Without a Warrant.
This Virginia ruling does not change the Supreme Court’s ruling on cell phone searches: Police cannot automatically search your phone upon your arrest without a search warrant, with very few exceptions. Once they obtain a search warrant to get inside your phone, the Virginia ruling allows police to force you to unlock the phone with a fingerprint (if possible).
2. Police Already Take Your Fingerprints.
When a suspect is …read more
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