We all know that Apple loves to control everything you buy from them, now the big tech Company is set to stop even law enforcement from getting access to one of their iPhone devices, a move that is set to make iPhones popular with criminals.
Via their new iOS 11 Apple has secretly incorporated a privacy feature that lets you automatically disable Touch ID in just a few seconds, securing your device and preventing anyone (including law enforcement) from forcing you to access your iPhone by using your fingerprint.
The new feature is activated by pressing the lock button five times in a row. When you do this, the phone enters an emergency mode that brings up a second screen with the SOS button that, if toggled, alerts your emergency contacts to your location. What it also does, regardless of whether you tap the SOS button, is lock down your device and disable Touch ID until you verify your identity with your passcode.
The move is set to upset State and Federal Police forces in Australia as individuals will have to unlock their phones with their fingerprints — or they can use a person’s prints against their will. A move which in itself presents legal issues relating to search.
According to BGR Apple hasn’t spent any time talking about the new privacy tool, but with iOS 11 expected to hit iOS devices sometime in September, it’ll be available to millions and millions of people in just a few weeks.
In the past Apple has proven to be extremely bold when it comes to user privacy, refusing to unlock iPhones of suspected criminals due to the precedent it could set for the future.
An easy way to disable Touch ID definitely fits with that theme, and it’ll be interesting to see how (or if) law enforcement agencies react.
