Almost all smartphones now have a fingerprint verification feature. But instead of adding more security to your phone, the technology makes snooping on your phone easier. With just a touch of a finger, the phone can be unlocked – no password needed. In fact, some people use this feature to spy on their partner’s phone without consent.
Based on a survey of 2,000 people in the U.K., four in ten people confessed to spying on their partner’s phone at least once a week. This is just one of the many ways that technology has made spying easier than ever.
London-based law firm Hodge Jones & Allen released the report after they discovered a spike in people citing information uncovered on devices. The law firm said that this type of evidence is increasingly being used as examples of unreasonable behavior and adultery for divorce. They also found that women and younger generations are more likely to snoop compared to men and older adults.
The research revealed that more than half of the survey participants who snooped on their partner’s phone found something that led them to believe that their partner had cheated. About 45 percent of this group decided to end the relationship as a result, but they failed to agree on how to define cheating. Nearly six in 10 said that "sexting" or sex on text should be considered as such. One in nine said that they believe kisses at the end of a text message indicated betrayal; six percent said that just liking someone’s post on social media was a sign that their partner was being unfaithful.
In today’s generation, many people are living their lives online, and checking a partner’s phone, email, or social media without permission is becoming more common. This may be tempting, but it can be considered a breach of privacy.
Relationship and family experts suggest talking to your partners if you are suspecting them of doing things behind your back. After all, trust is one of the key components in a relationship. Checking someone’s phone or messages without their permission is a breach of trust. It could also be a sign of controlling behavior.
Jacqueline Major, head of family law at Hodge Jones & Allen warns that there could also be consequences if nothing is uncovered. She says that finding evidence of inappropriate behavior could be used as grounds for unreasonable behavior in a divorce. However, if you fail to find evidence, and your partner discovered that you were looking through their phone without permission, then that could be used against you as unreasonable behavior.
Your phone’s fingerprint sensor is not as safe as you think
Aside from unlocking your phone, fingerprint sensors can help you shop online. You can also access your bank accounts to pay bills or transfer money with a touch of a finger using a banking app. However, this convenience comes with a gaping security hole.
Researchers at New York University and Michigan State University found that smartphones can be easily fooled by digitally composed fake fingerprints. The researchers used computer simulations to develop a set of artificial “MasterPrints” that could match prints like those used by phones as much as 65 percent of the time.
Full human fingerprints are hard to falsify, but the finger scanners on phones are so small that they read partial fingerprints. Moreover, a finger swipe has to match only one stored image to unlock the phone, the system is susceptible to false matches. Although the researchers did not test their approach with real phones, the findings still raise troubling questions on how safe and effective fingerprint security on smartphones truly are.
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