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Comment by wkat4242 | Hacker News Reader

Many passports also contain digitized fingerprint scans. But those are even harder to access. You need a private key that only governments have.

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> that only governments have

:-)

Do share :)

A corrupt government official selling a copy of that key to the highest bidder just sounds like the free market to me /s

"Dutch journalist buys fake Syrian passport with prime minister’s photo" - https://www.dutchnews.nl/2015/09/dutch-journalist-buys-fake-...

does not say anything about it passing digital checks

Why would they make such an important key be copyable?

To be useful, that key needs to be present in countless border checkpoint or even police devices, so it's inherently very hard to keep secret.

That's a known trade-off, and I believe some countries accordingly restrict access to their own national authorities (which usually already have access to that data via other means, since they're issuing the document).

You wouldn't need the key to be copyable though - it can be an online check - ie. passport sends challenge, terminal sends challenge to government-hosted HSM, HSM sends response.

Good point, but that's in the end a typical availability/security tradeoff, and I could imagine that at least some verifying authorities would rather err on the side of the former.

Imagine, there are a lot of borders and pösces where duch control happens where internet is not guaranteed.

The way computer security people and government officials understand keys and key handling practices is vastly different.

It’s obviously not a free market. You have to bribe someone, which is by definition not free. /s

Free as in freedom ;)

Sounds fairly sensible to me

If it's truly sensitive data, encrypting with a unique private key and locking that with a PIN a la FIDO via NFC would be a bit more secure.

One master key leak and everyone is walking around with IDs that give away sensitive data over RFID.

> sensitive data

"Sensitive" data that you already leave on everything you touch.

You leave your DNA everywhere, too, but there are data security and privacy implications of digitizing that data and voluntarily/involuntarily sharing it with others.

"Many passports also contain your computer password. But those are even harder to access. You need a private key that only governments have."

Still reasonable?

If you think of your fingerprint as a "secret", you're wrong. It's more your name. That would be like saying your face is a secret. It's not.

> If you think of your fingerprint as a "secret",

I can unlock my laptop with just a fingerprint. Whether or not we believe this the implementation already exists.

> It's more your name.

I can change my name. Can I change my fingerprints?

> That would be like saying your face is a secret.

I can unlock my phone with my face. Whether or not we believe this the implementation already exists.

> It's not.

Let's discuss the real world and not the ideal fantasy.

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