<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"The introduction of the iPhone 5S and its easy to use fingerprint verification button has suddenly pushed biometric security into the mainstream. But for those with a little imagination, there are now concerns that smartphone thieves might soon resort to physically removing a person\u2019s finger in order to gain access to a stolen device.\nMore broadly, some of the immediate concerns from the Apple community ranged from fears that, based on recent government surveillance revelations, the government might now collect all iPhone user fingerprints, to the notion that a person\u2019s fingerprint might be lifted from a surface and used to hack into the device.\nSee also: Top 25 Free iPhone Apps of All Time\nBut neither of those concerns \u2014 at least one of which has since been dismissed as unfounded \u2014 resonated more than the frightening thought of having one\u2019s hand physically mutilated in the course of being robbed of the new iPhone 5S. In recent years, such fears have been driven in part by reports like the one from Malaysia that detailed the theft of a biometrically secured Mercedes S-class car that resulted in the owner losing a finger so the thieves could start the car.\nNow, after the Apple event dust has settled, biometric security experts have begun to weigh in and the overall verdict is: Your fingers are safe. \nWhat we now know is that the iPhone\u2019s Touch ID fingerprint sensor uses radio frequency scanning to detect the sub-epidermal layers of your skin, a dynamic that requires the owner of the finger to be alive and attached to the finger being used.\n\u201CThe [RF capacitive sensor] technology is built in a way that the [fingerprint] image has to be taken from a live finger,\u201D says Sebastien Taveau, chief technology officer at Validity Sensors, a California based provider of fingerprint sensor solutions. \u201CNo one in biometrics wants to talk about cut fingers and dead bodies, but at the end of the day we are still asked to remove the fears of consumer and make sure that they understand that [a severed finger] will not work.\u201D\nOf course, this new feature of the iPhone 5S doesn\u2019t rule out instances of victims being forced to use their fingers to access the smartphone, but it does offer some comfort to those worried about worst-case scenarios.\nFor long-time observers of Apple this latest development doesn\u2019t come as much of surprise, as it fits the company\u2019s tradition of taking existing technology and mainstreaming it through innovation. \u201C[Apple] used a technology that\u2019s been around for a long time, but the big difference is that they made it cool,\" says Taveau.\u00A0\"It\u2019s been around on laptops, but besides locking and unlocking your laptop there was not much of a use case for it.\n\"Now with Apple, by actually building an experience, they are educating the market, which is very important... Expect to see the Android world shipping [these kinds of] devices in the next couple of months.\u201D\n\n\nApple Sept. 10 iPhone Event\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTim Cook Onstage\nApple CEO Tim Cook opens the event.\n\nImage:  Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\niOS 7\nCraig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, demonstrates iOS 7, Apple's forthcoming mobile operating system. Federighi announced it will be available for free Sept. 18. \n\nImage:  Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nApple Unveils the iPhone 5C\n\n\nImage:  Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nApple Unveils the iPhone 5c\nThe new device comes in five colors. \n\nImage:  Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\niPhone 5C Specs\n\n\nImage: Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\niPhone 5C Pricing\nPhilip W. Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple, reveals the pricing for the iPhone 5C. \n\nImage: Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nApple Unveils iPhone 5S\nThe new device comes in three colors. \n\nImage: Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nApple Unveils iPhone 5S\nPhilip W. Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple, reveals the iPhone 5S.\n\nImage: Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\niPhone 5S\nSchiller speaks about the iPhone 5S. \n\nImage: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTouch ID \nThe iPhone 5S can scan your fingerprint. \n\nImage: Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNew iPhone Pricing\n\n\nImage: Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nElvis Costello Performs\nThe musician played his new song \"Tripwire.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nElvis Costello Performs\n\n\nImage: Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHands-on With the Iphone 5S\n\n\nImage: Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHands-on With the Iphone 5S\n\n\nImage: Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHands-on With the Iphone 5S\n\n\nImage: Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAttendees Wait for the Event to Begin\n\n\nImage:  Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nApple Headquarters in Cupertino\nPeople arrive for the product announcement. \n\nImage: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Media Awaits\nMembers of the press await Apple's product announcement outside the company's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters\n\nImage:  Nina Frazier, Mashable\n\n\n\n\n\n\nImage: Apple"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/09/15/severed-finger-iphone-5s/>