Your Phone's Fingerprint

Turns out that device in your hand, or on your lap, isn't quite as innocent as we see it to be. Sure, we all know there are dangers that come with having that small box of technology, but it probably wasn’t as severe as you were expecting.  All of those secrets, that mind-blowing gossip and the ugly selfies you sent your best friend over messenger, that you obviously had to delete, because you wouldn’t want anyone else to see them, are still there.

That’s right, experts who are handy with a computer (hackers), can find all of those secret texts, embarrassing photos or anything that you have ever had on your phone, deleted or not.

But the question is, is this good or bad? I'm sure your immediate answer was, BAD! But is it really? Sure if your crush hacked your phone and saw all of those hideous selfies, that would ruin your life... for about a week, until you found your next crush, BUT, what about the serious stuff? What if the police needed those secrets you sent to your best friend, to stop the bad guys? If the safety of innocent citizens, was held in those juicy secrets, would you not want them to be shared?

All of the information that’s been saved on your phone, is contained in the solid state memory part of a chip, and hackers can access all sorts of scary information. Some that can cause serious crime, if not used in the right hands. For example, bank details can be re-stored. Emails, texts, web browsing history, images and videos can all be re-stored if someone with the right skills gets hold of your phone. But then again, this stuff can be used to solve crime, not create it. 

An example of this happening occurred with Apple and the U.S government. The U.S government wanted Apple to unlock a suspect's phone, which could have led to the solving of a massive crime of 14 people being killed. But Apple resisted, and said that Apple relies on their customers putting faith and trust in their company. They said that privacy is a big thing for them.

I'm sure you all have very different views, as to whether or not the phone should be opened, as privacy is essential for all of us. You may think that Apple is doing the right thing by refusing access, but on the other hand, what if the phone was unlocked, and the suspect turned out to the bad guy?

-by Ursula Pine