Last week Apple announced their newest iPhone and its features. The most interesting feature is the new fingerprint scanner. This means you will not have to type in a password to access your phone — you just scan your fingerprint. Before the Apple cult jumps on this, let’s take a step back and look at the ramifications of this technology. This new feature has the potential to become an Orwellian device with Huxley users.
These new scanners are based on a user’s biometric pattern, or their personal identifying characteristics. Now in order to use their phone for any reason, a user must confirm their identity by fingerprint. If George Orwell could read about this, he would perform a gymnastic routine in his grave.
This is one way to take the anonymity out of the Internet. Instead of a TV monitoring you in your homes, there is a tiny device that records everything you do online. This fact is overshadowed by its supposed user-friendly style. Instead of entering a code, you scan your fingerprint, saving time. Users need to question whether that saved time justifies an intrusion into their personal life.
According to Electric Frontier Foundation, the only thing Apple does is “fight for their users’ rights in Congress.” Beyond saying that, there is little they do to protect their users’ data. They do not “require a warrant for content, tell users about government data requests, publish transparency reports, publish law enforcement guidelines, and fight for users’ privacy rights in courts.”
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Apple’s secrecy regarding its data usage means we cannot trust them. Just look at the most recent news with Snowden’s National Security Administration leaks. According to the Guardian, “The National Security Agency has obtained direct access to the systems of Google, Facebook, Apple and other U.S. internet giants, according to a top secret document obtained by the Guardian. The NSA access is part of a previously undisclosed program called Prism, which allows officials to collect material including search history, the content of emails, file transfers and live chats.”
All those companies have denied these claims. This is where the Huxley attitude toward these technologies come in. People are accepting these intrusions into personal privacy and liberties because of the supposed benefits. They are so caught up in the innovative technology that they do not realize it is actually harming them. They are giving their information to unknown sources.
Many people trust their data with Apple, and that is their personal choice. When it comes to companies, the thing to remember is that they are a business, and that means their primary concern is making a profit. It doesn’t matter how much they claim to protect user data, if it isn’t making them money, then they aren’t doing it.
Look at the most recent statements from Yahoo’s CEO, Melissa Mayer. “Releasing classified information is treason, and you are incarcerated,” she said. “In terms of protecting our users, it makes more sense to work within the system.”
As we move into the 21st century, technologies like this are only going to become more common. The ultimate decision is in the hands of the user. How they use and treat this technology will determine its power and effect. People need to realize that the new fingerprint scanner is an invasive technology and treat it as such.