UK crime review proposes fingerprint readers on DAPs

Blissfully unaware that biometric security only encourages criminals to make off with your body parts along with your gear, the British government has apparently released a review on crime suggesting that fingerprint scanners might cut down on DAP theft. The rather short-sighted proposal is one example of ways in which the UK could "work in partnership with businesses to crime-proof their products, services and processes to the highest standards," although as TG Daily rightly points out, devices sport fingerprint, vein, or iris scanners primarily to secure sensitive data in the event of loss -- not to discourage would-be crooks from snatching them in the first place. Now if the fine chaps who wrote up the report had only had the good sense to contact us for input, they would have learned that the best way to protect your iPod isn't with biometrics or passwords but by cleverly hiding it in ties and button-down shirts -- or barring that, tethering it to your person and forcing that mugger to fight you to the death and really earn his "income."

[v_dogg @ Mar 27th 2007 11:15PM]

yay, so now i can lend my friend my iPod, and he cant use it!

[Shadyman @ Mar 27th 2007 11:16PM]

Nah, you'll just have to lend him your finger.

I guess that'll redefine "giving someone the finger"

[Fernando Johann @ Mar 27th 2007 11:24PM]

Do we really need this kind of security. Is the world this crazy. Are we that paranoic. Is someone benefitting from all this, because if so, I can´t see it

[Scooter @ Mar 27th 2007 11:26PM]

Steel all the music you want, but the hardware we must protect.

Scooter
http://www.gadgetgrid.com/

[BruceM @ Mar 27th 2007 11:32PM]

Oh come on, they just made this proposal at the request of the RIAA/MPAA. They don't want fingerprint readers to "protect the consumers" from having their ipods stolen, they want it for biometric DRM. You will have to swipe your finger every time you want to play a song or watch a video, and your fingerprint will be embedded in the song/video data file.

Just in case they are dumber than I am giving them credit for and have actually not thought of this, and want to patent the idea... consider this post PRIOR ART. It is an OBVIOUS and UNORIGINAL idea. Their stupidity is not probative of my originality.

[chris joseph @ Mar 27th 2007 11:46PM]

Won't be too long before those crazy Brits will have babies implanted with biochips at birth, through the soft parts of their forming skulls, so their encroaching police state can view the world through the eyes and ears of anyone/everyone at any given moment. Huge deterrent to crime, that.

[Claus Christensen @ Mar 28th 2007 12:17AM]

Evan Evan Evan....Every 5th grader knows that cutting off a limb to use for authentication is like peeing your pants in frosty weather to keep warm...it will not work.


Behold, in 2-5 years Bio-metrics will be a big part of everyday life...

[Ken Westin @ Mar 28th 2007 1:16AM]

I think the GadgetTrak way is better as mentioned on Engadget earlier

[Robert @ Mar 28th 2007 3:02AM]

The typical low-beat stealing a DAP is looking to sell it and is unlikely to move to a higher level of crime - stealing body parts. Even if he (or she) did take a finger, they would be unlikely to find a buyer willing to carry a finger around with the DAP in order to use it, hence making resale next to impossible.

That Engadget and some of it's readers fail to recognize this demonstates a lack of logical thinking that is certainly also found in the criminal population. The arrrest and accompanying puplicity surrounding the first iPod with enabling finger on ebay will help get the message out to those unable to think things out for themselves.

[Bigdad @ Mar 28th 2007 3:45AM]

The concept of concealing your media player or welding it to your underwear is of course appealing - but the results is more violence from the bad boy's side.

Where I live (Belgium) we have had several cases of people stabbed or clubbed to get their cellphones or MP3 players - and a 19 year old kid even died of knife wounds because he wasn't handing over his iPod to a couple of thugs in a railway station in Brussels. Say what you will, but making it more difficult to rob your stuff just drives some people to use more violence to get it.

[JoeBob @ Mar 28th 2007 1:23PM]

Brings a whole new meaning to "hacking your system,' no?

[v_dogg @ Mar 28th 2007 5:23PM]

yay! so now i can lend my friend my iPod and he cant use it!

[benjamin @ Apr 5th 2007 9:22AM]

great idea,, did they take into account how many of these 'stolen' items were simply to upgrade on the insurance?
how about a registration via password, so when its pluged into a computa the user needs the password(via internet,, we all have that dont we?), if you dont have the password, you cant use it,, that way we can share, sell & use,, & then if its stolen, th manufacturer can identify were it is gone, & disable usage,, geeze, dont we have that simple technology available already? after all, i'm sure that all these toys are individually serial#'d
or hey,, heres another idea for the genuine thefts out there... seeing as most of them are made in china,, how about putting a fair price on them, then they wont be worth stealing