Unauthorised user? You are a thief!

Apple to equip its devices with a new patented tech that will capture fingerprints, photos of unknown users

Areport published in the US Patent and Trademark Office on August 25, 2016, revealed that upcoming Apple devices will capture and store biometric information about an unauthorised user.

The patent application filed by Apple on the US Patent and Trademark Office describes a method of storing an unauthorised user's biometric information - picture, video and fingerprint from the Touch ID button, to strengthen security management or help in device recovery and criminal prosecution in case of a theft.

"A computing device may determine to capture biometric information in response to the occurrence of one or more trigger conditions," Apple says in its patent application to the US patent and Trademark Office.

"Such biometric information may be one or more fingerprints, one or more images of a current user of the computing device, video of the current user, audio of the environment of the computing device, forensic interface use information, and so on. The computing device may then provide the stored biometric information for identification of one or more unauthorised users," added Apple.

Apple said data can be transmitted to the actual owner via cellular or WiFi network and through Apple's cloud data storage service, the iCloud. com. The biometric information recorded could then be sent off to the police as evidence. At present, Apple allows five attempts to unlock its devices with Touch ID, after which the device will ask the users to enter a passcode.

Further passcodes attempts may cause complete data wipe from the devices, depending on ones Apple settings.