Biometrics: A Backdoor for Cops. Here’s How to Lock It

As the government becomes more authoritarian, our right to privacy becomes ever more vital. Our phones, as convenient as they are, often leave us vulnerable to all manner of surveillance. Whether it’s the NSA collecting our phone records, Homeland Security monitoring our social media for criticism of the President, or in so many other ways, you might be tempted to put on a tin foil hat.

The latest way that is manifesting is over the government exploiting biometrics.

Biometrics, the fancy term for things like face ID and fingerprints, save many of us the hassle of having to retype our passwords constantly. However, biometrics aren’t just convenient for us; they have become very convenient for local and federal officers, too.

As the law currently stands, your right to remain silent protects you from not giving officers your password; some law enforcement agencies can exploit biometrics to get around the need for a warrant to search your phone.

According to Attorney Ignacio Alvarez in an interview  by ZDNET, “Biometrics are a more unsettled area of the law […] The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit just decided in 2024 that the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination does not prohibit police officers from forcing a suspect to unlock a phone with a thumbprint scan.”

Regardless of if you are planning to protest or travel outside the country, you may not be planning on being detained, but that doesn’t mean the government feels the same way. So please read this quick how-to guide to learn how you can keep your info just a little bit safer. Your phone’s security is only as strong as its lock. For anyone at high risk, the goal is to create as many barriers as possible for authorities.

Use a Strong Passphrase or Passcode, but a Simpler PIN for Everyday Security

This is the most important barrier you can create. For stronger security, when being at protests or doing things that might more sensitive a pass code/passphrase are harder to break into with “brute-force” software. You need a real passphrase or a strong alphanumeric passcode—a mix of letters (upper and lower case), numbers, and symbols. Think something like: DonaldTrump$sux420, or even a line from a poem or a quote that you will always remember, with a couple of symbols added. However, for everyday, quick access, a simpler PIN code can be convenient and sufficient for general security.

Here’s how to set it up and ditch the PIN:

• On iPhone: Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode). Select Change Passcode and then tap Passcode Options. Choose Custom Alphanumeric Code.
• On Android: Go to Settings > Security > Screen lock. Choose a Password. (The exact path may vary slightly by manufacturer).

Arm Your Encryption

This next part is non-negotiable: Full-Disk Encryption. This is what scrambles all your data, making it unreadable garbage to anyone without your passphrase. The good news? Modern iPhones and most modern Android phones are encrypted by default as long as you have a passcode/passphrase set. By setting that strong passphrase, you’re automatically arming this robust defense.

Lock Down Your Lock Screen

Your phone is a vulnerability every second it’s unlocked. Give the cops less of an opportunity.

• Shorten Your Auto-Lock: Set your phone to lock automatically after a very short period, like 30 seconds. This shrinks the window for someone to snatch it while it’s open.
• Hide Your Notifications: Don’t let message contents, emails, and alerts be read from your lock screen. That’s just giving them free information.

• On iPhone: Go to Settings > Notifications > Show Previews and select When Unlocked or Never.
• On Android: Go to Settings > Notifications > Notifications on lock screen and select Don’t show notifications at all or Show sensitive content only when unlocked. 

Know How to Quickly Disable Biometrics (Lockdown Mode)

But what if you’re in a situation right now where you might be detained, like at a protest? You need to disable biometrics instantly. This is called “Lockdown Mode.”

• On Android (Android 9+): First, you may have to enable “Lockdown mode” in your security settings (often under Lock Screen options). Once it’s enabled, you can trigger it from the power-off menu. Just drag down the menu, click the power icon, and tap “Lockdown mode”. This hides all notifications and disables the fingerprint sensor.
• On iPhone (iOS 11+): Quickly press the side button five times. (Or on older phones, hold the power button and either of the volume buttons at the same time for about two seconds.) This brings up the power-off/SOS screen and automatically disables Face/Touch ID.

Once you unlock the phone with your passphrase, you’ll have to re-lock it this way to disable biometrics again.

Consider a ‘Protest Phone’

Many activists use a secondary “burner” phone. This is a cheap device that has no personal info on it. It’s not logged into your personal Google or iCloud accounts and is only used for secure apps like Signal. If this phone gets seized, who cares? The potential damage is minimal. (But still, lock it with a strong passphrase, not your face.)

And with just these simple tasks, you can make the lives of any future cop, ICE agent, or any other government jackboot just a little bit harder.

Connecticut DSA is the Constitution State’s one and only chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. We are an organization that is building a multiracial working class movement here in CT! If you want to get on board, or just support us in that mission, you can sign up at dsausa.org/join