The fingerprint ID also, of course, can theoretically act as a security device so that only you can activate your phone. There's also haptic (physical) feedback when you're hitting things, as well as using the touchscreen as an RFID reader. None of the three are really mindblowing in themselves, on the surface, but if implemented intelligently might make for a big step forward in the iPhone product line. [Macrumors via Boy Genius]

The man, dubbed Mr. S in news reports, was detained for hours as agents checked to make sure he wasn't some sort of sneaky criminal or terrorist. But no, it turns out his fingerprints were removed without his knowledge.

He was taking capecitabine, a follow-up drug for chemotherapy for cancer of the head and neck. One of its side effects is inflammation of the palms and soles of the feet, which can cause peeling and bleeding of the skin and, eventually, can cause fingerprints to vanish.

Mr. S had been taking capecitabine for three years when he decided to visit relatives in the States, at which point his prints were gone. Luckily, he was eventually allowed to enter the country and visit his relatives once the officials determined that he wasn't dangerous. [ABC News]

In other words, this treatment doesn't keep your touchscreen from collecting your filthy secretions — it spreads the goo around until you just don't notice it. Whatever the method, if this film can keep iPods from looking like the back window of a short bus after a few minutes of usage, then by all means, Tsujiden, deceive me into a feeling of false cleanliness. [Tech-On]

The CCC got its hands on Schauble's prints thanks to a sympathiser, who scarpered with a glass used by the minister during a panel discussion and handed it over to the hackers. Dirk Engling, a spokesman for CCC, defended the group's actions, claiming it was a warning shot, and that fingerprints "certainly [did] not [belong] in the e-Pass."

Along with Minister Schauble's fingerprint, the group also published a wish-list of other politicians whose biometric data they'd like to get their mitts on—including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the Prime Minister of Bavaria, Guenther Beckstein—as well as a guide on how to capture someone's fingerprints from a glass successfully.

The lawyer hired by the CCC sees it like this: "If journalists and citizens were to do what the government is doing—that is, the collection and use of biometric data—then the prosecutor would be knocking at their doors." Meanwhile, a po-faced spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry, refused to rule out legal action against the fingerprint-stealing hackers. [Heise online via Slashdot]

Some of the conservative, paranoid parents are expressing concerns. Even though the finger-print scanning is optional for students, the alternative methods aren't being articulated to the children, according to one parent. I guess the only downside to this system is if a bully wants to steal a kid's milk money, it will involve the slicing off of a finger. Ouch.

It's a damn fingerprint scan, it's not like the school officials are implanting RFID chips into the kids (that's next year). – Travis Hudson

Kids buy lunches with scans of fingers [Yahoo!]

Yeah, you could use a USB drive with some sort of software security feature, but it's probably only a matter of time until eastern European hackers crack that code. However, as this isn't Men in Black, you're already in possession of an excellent method of identifying yourself: your fingerprints. A-Data's FB1 USB drive scans your fingerprints on first use and identifies those fingerprints as the owner's. From then on, if you want to access the data on the drive, a simple fingerprint scan unlocks the drive. If, for some reason, your digits become unavailable, there's also a backup password system.

This fingerprint scanning USB drive is available in 256MB, 512MB, 1GB and 2GB sizes, with the largest drive retailing for $59.99. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [A-Data via The Inquirer]