Comment on Suspects can refuse to provide phone passcodes to police, court rules
AdamEatsAss@lemmy.world 11 months agoBut biometrics have never been covered by the 5th amendment. Police collect facial photos and fingerprints and have done so for years. On top of that any DNA you unknowing leave at a police station can be used as evidence (strand of hair, spit on the rim of a water glass). I would never recommend commiting a crime but if you do and have evidence of it on your phone don’t use biometrics.
Sometimes “crimes” are not crimes at all.
And sometimes you’ve done absolutely nothing wrong but prosecutors will use any information they can get their hands on as evidence of a crime, because they don’t give a single fuck if they lock up a person they know full well is innocent for the rest of their lives, all they care about is a “win” in court.
You’re right. I know your response may seem implausible, but prosecutors have fought against the release of known innocent people.
It’s not even that they’ll try to get a win. It’s that they can refuse to simply honor justice in its most fundamental forms.
Central park 5 comes to mind
Cops have also been known to use “parallel construction” in order to launder evidence that would otherwise be considered inadmissible. It’s fucked.
CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Forcing someone to press on their phone to unlock it via fingerprunt is a lot different than just collecting data.
IMO, forced/coerced biometrics to unlock a device SHOULD be covered by 5A
AA5B@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Exactly. If the hair I leave behind or my spit on the rim of a glass can unlock my phone, that sucks but those are public things I’ve left behind. Unless I leave my fingers behind on the officers desk, forcing me to unlock my phone with them should be should be a violation of my rights.