Just like Apple thought long and hard how to sandbox the fingerprint algorithm that its new Touch ID technology is using to unlock the iPhone 5s or authorize iTunes purchases, so did HTC when it decided to put a scanner on the back of the One max.
HTC's
first phablet features a small square on the back that unlocks the
phone when you swipe down your index finger on it, or whatever other
finger you have authorized to do so, as you can do up to three other
fingers to launch different apps directly from the lock screen. A pretty
neat idea hinting that biometrics are one of the ways to get around the
aging identification methods like passwords or patterns we mostly use
now.
There are, naturally, privacy concerns
with the fingerprint storage technology, and we probed HTC several
questions about the One max, one of which was precisely about the
scanner on its rear. Here's HTC's answer to allay your worries:
PhoneArena:
How do you store the fingerprint data? Is it stored in a secure
"enclave" inside the chipset, similarly to how Apple stores fingerprint
data with the iPhone 5s? Does HTC have access to the fingerprint data
stored by users on their One max phones? Is it possible for HTC to share
this data with third-parties?
HTC:
The fingerprint data is stored in local memory. It is encrypted and
stored in the system partition, which can’t be readily accessed or
copied. The fingerprint data is not an actual image but fingerprint
characteristics that have been identified by a proprietary
algorithm. No, HTC does not have access to the information and the
fingerprint cannot be used by a third party.
There
you have it, for those of you who were intrigued how HTC addressed the
fingerprint safekeeping situation on its first phablet, the One max.
Fingerprint sensors are apparently gaining in popularity with a bunch of
companies big and small introducing them on their phones and tablets,
so we'd better get used to the convenience they offer, but keep an
watchful eye on the way the prints are handled by each maker. There are
plenty of ways to leverage the fingerprint identification method still,
on which you can read in our dedicated article.
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