LaCie intros SAFE Mobile Hard Drive with fingerprint security
By Donald Melanson 
posted Jun 22nd 2005 5:36AM
posted Jun 22nd 2005 5:36AM
LaCie has just unveiled the SAFE Mobile Hard Drive, a USB 2.0 hard drive with built-in fingerprint authentication. It's not the first such security-conscious drive, but this one's software is embedded so you won't need to install stuff on every computer you use it with. Two models are available for pre-order now (shipping mid-July), the 40GB one'll run you $150 with the 80GB model costing fifty bucks more. Both are 5400rpm drives with 8MB cache, and they'll each hold five different user profiles.
[Via MacMinute]
Thats great ! The fingerprint security is a good thing. But all those devices which needed some software on the pc made useability a joke! Please do this for USB sticks too.
cheaper way would be just to password protect a directory on the hard drive
And how safe would your data be if I happened to remove the hard drive from the enclosure?
It's obviously encrypted...
can law enforcement force someone to "fingerprint" the drive to access the data? just wondering. on password only security-you could always say you forgot the password -can they force you to biometrically access stuff?
just use a different fingerprint, one for a profile without you incriminating stuff. As for removing the drive it is likely encrypted, or rigged to wipe if opened. Oh and about the usb key, I think I saw one... cough... http://www.usbkey.biz/online.htm ... cough ... really expensive though ... cough
Law enforcement CAN force you to biometrically access stuff...
(1) Chain subject onto chair
(2) Place plastic bag onto subject's head
(3) Calmly ask subject to access data
(4) If subject refuses, wait 60 seconds and ask again
(5) Slap subject (or prod genitals) to incite rapid breathing
(6) If subject passes out, place subject finger onto biometric sensor
(7) Dispose of subject once data has been accessed - or deny any rough treatment