The Innocent ‘’Peace’’ & ‘’Love’’ Gesture In Your Pics May Be Giving Away Your Fingerprints
Irresponsible parties can lift your fingerprints from the photos you share online if it’s high-res enough.
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.
As camera phones grow sharper, there’s a chance that your casual ‘peace’ or ‘finger heart’ sign in photos can be used to extract your fingerprints.
In 2025, a group of criminals in Hangzhou, China tried to unlock a smartdoor lock using a hand photo that was previously uploaded by the home owner. Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful and stopped in time.
Nevertheless, it showed the possibility to lift fingerprints from someone’s online photo is doable when conditions are right.
In a recent reality programme, Chinese security expert Li Chang demonstrated how fingerprints could be extracted from a celebrity’s selfie using AI tools.
Chang said there’s a high possibility that fingerprint information can be extracted if the pads of the fingers face the camera directly and photographed about 1.5m of the lens.
He added that photos taken from 1.5m to 3m away could still reveal roughly half of the fingerprint details.
Chang advised people to blur, pixelate, or smooth out their hands before posting the selfies online as a precaution.
How real is this risk, realistically?
While this sounds worrying, Pei Zhiyong, director of the Qianxin Industry Security Research Centre, said not all selfies pose an immediate risk and that it’s tough to lift fingerprints in real-world situations.
This is because the fingerprints can only be reconstructed when conditions such as lighting, focus, shooting distance, and image quality are right.
However, he advised the public not to share too many photos showing their fingers online and to avoid saving fingerprints on unfamiliar devices.
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.
