People who constantly use the V sign (AKA the "peace sign") when taking photos should be careful... at least according to one study, anyway.
Researchers at Japan's National Institute of Informatics (NII) recently concluded that flashing the sign while posing for photos could put people at risk for identity theft. They argued that fingerprints could easily be stolen using nothing more than a high-res V sign photo.
They proved this in an experiment performed by NII professor Isao Echizen, who was able to extract fingerprints from photos taken from as far as three meters away.
But some fingerprint experts told Beijing News that the risk might not be all that serious. While it is certainly feasible to obtain fingerprints through photos, they said it's highly unlikely:
According to Yin Desen, a researcher for the Ministry of Public Security, the technical processing of such images can yield fingerprints, but retrieving fingerprints from a single photo is more difficult. Several experts stated that they have never encountered a criminal case involving fingerprints stolen from photos.
Yin nevertheless suggests that people take precautionary measures when linking their fingerprints with other information.
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