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FBI reportedly testing iPhone fingerprint scanner to ID suspects

FBI reportedly testing iPhone fingerprint scanner to ID suspects

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Cult of Mac is reporting that the FBI is testing an iPhone fingerprint scanner, the FbF mobileOne, to help quickly identify potential suspects.

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FbF mobileOne
FbF mobileOne

The FBI is set to test an iPhone-powered fingerprint scanner to use in the fight against crime, according to a report by Cult of Mac. Using a $599 peripheral known as the FbF mobileOne, law enforcement agents can scan a suspect's fingerprints and check against the FBI's national database for quick identification. Built by Fulcrum Biometrics, the mobileOne itself was released in late May, and features a 256-bit, 508dpi fingerprint scanner built by Authentec that attaches to an iPhone or iPod touch through the iPod 30-pin connector. Fulcrum claims that it can process 10 fingerprints plus a set of five facial images in under one minute. Cult of Mac notes that the mobileOne is "among" the devices undergoing a trial in 2012, but given the amount of technology the FBI tests, we're likely a long way from seeing this in the field, if it ever gets there.