Police can't force you to unlock phone with Face ID or fingerprint, judge rules
Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 03:19PM Law enforcement can't force you to unlock a phone with your face, fingerprint or other biometric features, according to a new court order.
US Magistrate Judge Kandis Westmore denied a search warrant request that sought permission to use biometrics features -- such as FaceID on an iPhone or Iris Scanner on a Samsung Galaxy -- to unlock and search devices at a residence in Oakland, California. The court order, issued Jan. 10, was reported earlier by Forbes.
"The court finds that the government's request runs afoul of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments, and the search warrant application must be denied," wrote Westmore. "Today's mobile phones are not comparable to other storage equipment, be it physical or digital, and are entitled to greater privacy protection."
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