Hackers Give Apple's Touch ID The Finger

The 24 Hour News Cycle has given way to the 24 Hour Security Cycle. Within one day after Apple introduced the fingerprint reading Touch ID feature as part of the iPhone 5, a German computer club announced it had easily hacked the security system. Interviews with security experts support the position that fingerprint ID systems are not as secure as a five-digit passcode. In fact, Senator Al Franken (D, MN), chairman of the influential Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law wrote a letter to Tim Cook, CEO of Apple requesting information regarding serious privacy concerns surrounding Apples's fingerprint encryption software. To be sure, the feature represents more of a convenience than heightened security. Apple insists that the system is secure, and is meant to make it easier for the 50% of iPhone owners who do not set any passcode.