From: Black Unicorn <unicorn@schloss.li>
Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 07:06:09 +0800
To: "Paul S. Penrod" <furballs@netcom.com>
Subject: Re: Fingerprinting annoyance
In-Reply-To: <Pine.3.89.9605132007.A29528-0100000@netcom17>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.93.960514093526.3611C-100000@polaris.mindport.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On Mon, 13 May 1996, Paul S. Penrod wrote:

> 
> 
> On Mon, 13 May 1996, Mark O. Aldrich wrote:
> 
> > On Mon, 13 May 1996, Senator Exon wrote:
> > 
> > <snip>
> > > i can fill out and manipulate the card myself i just need a
> > > working method.
> > > is there no privacy advocate who can help me?

[...]

> > If you're forced to do this in person with a tech, you can continuously 
> > "fight" the grip they have on your hand and smudge the card.  However, 
> > they'll not submit the card until the prints are "good," so this sort of 
> > betrays your intent of at least appearing to cooperate with them.  In the 
> > law enforcement community, they are taught how to take prints by force 
> > but it's unlikely that your tech will attempt any such technique.
> > 
> 
> I know of no such instance (other than some informal "fingerprint the 
> kiddies for safety" schtick) where it's a do-it--yourself operation. 

Not _technically_ perhaps.  But in most cases it's a
go-down-to-the-police-station-and-have-them-sign-the-card operation.  Who
is it that can tell a random signature from a police signature exactly?
Like I said, standard print cards are available at the GPO.

> While the methods listed are clever, they and many other finaglings are 
> the main reason it's done in the "light of day" by a tech.

Or _theoretically_ done in the light of day by a tech.

> > You can mutilate the tips of your fingers so that prints cannot be 
> > acquired, but this hurts.  Badly.
> 
> Doesn't always work. Partials can be extrapolated to yield a relative match.

Depends on what you are looking to do.  If your goal is to deter random
searching through a national database, mutilation will probably be very
effective.  If they have the prints of the murderer (you) and you're a
suspect, mutilation aside from actually removing the fingers isn't going
to do anything.

> > 
> > You could get some false latex coverings for your finger tips, but they'd 
> > have to be damn good to fool a tech.  Likely to cost big bucks, too.
> 
> Wont work. The hands are checked first for signs of tampering.

See above about tech end around.

> > 
> > I know of no chemical or physical "pre-treatment" that can be used to 
> > hack the ink transference process.  Perhaps one of the chemists here on 
> > the list might know of some good technique.
> 
> Pineapple juice and other weak acidic subtances ruin the ridges on the 
> finger tips causing them to smear or not show at all. Unfortunately, this 
> takes a period of time and constant handling of such items.

This is interesting.  I suspect that you'd have to have major damage to
the ridges however.

---
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