4th Amendment Protects a Passcode, But Not a Fingerprint

Julian —  31. October 2014 — Leave a comment

Virginia police can now force you to unlock your smartphone with your fingerprint (ZDNet):

(…) A video purporting to show the incident was on the defendant’s phone, but his lawyer argued that handing over his passcodes would be in breach of his Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination.

But, a fingerprint — used by a number of devices, like the latest iPhones, iPads, and Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets — does not fall within these protections, which Judge Steven C. Frucci likened it to handing over a DNA sample. (…)

No Comments

Be the first to start the conversation.

Leave a Reply