China TV variety show exposes scam linking ‘peace’ sign selfies to privacy risks

A casual peace sign in a selfie has become China’s latest online privacy concern after experts warned that the popular pose could expose users’ fingerprints.In a mainland workplace reality show aired in April, financial expert Li Chang used a celebrity selfie to show how clearly visible fingers in a photograph could put personal biometric data at risk.Li said fingerprints could potentially be extracted from selfies taken within 1.5 metres if the fingers faced the camera directly. Even at a distance of 1.5 to 3 metres, around half of the hand details could still be recovered.The programme showed fingerprint ridges becoming visible after the image was enhanced with photo-editing software and artificial intelligence (AI) tools.According to China-newsweek" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="124704" data-entity-type="organization">China Newsweek, Jing Jiwu, a cryptography professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, said portrait photos taken with high-quality cameras could make it possible to reconstruct hand details from a “scissor hand” pose.Four young high school students on their way home after class in China flash the peace sign for the camera. Photo: ShutterstockHe noted that fingerprint recovery was usually difficult due to factors such as lighting, focus and image clarity. However, the risk increases when photographs are taken with higher-resolution devices or when criminals obtain multiple related images.Li further warned that fingerprints, like facial data, are permanent biometric identifiers that are difficult to change. If leaked, they could expose people to financial losses and identity fraud.She advised people to blur, pixelate or smooth out their hands before posting selfies online, and to avoid registering fingerprints on unfamiliar devices.The programme also highlighted another emerging scam in which criminals capture facial data during video calls, then use face-swapping and voice-cloning tools to impersonate victims.The warnings quickly resonated on mainland social media, prompting netizens to rethink their posting habits.A group of happy teenagers take selfie using a smartphone. Photo: Shutterstock“Looks like we can only make fists in selfies from now on,” one online user said.Further Reading“I am going to start regularly wiping the fingerprint marks off my phone screen,” another wrote.While a third said: “I never thought exaggerated beauty filters and face-slimming effects might actually help protect my biometric data.”Previous cases suggest the risk is more than theoretical.According to Sohu News, a man in Hangzhou, eastern China, posted a photograph online last July in which his fingers were clearly visible.Criminals reportedly downloaded the image and used his fingerprint in an attempt to unlock the smart lock at his home, but the attempt was stopped in time.In another case reported by Xinyang Daily, an employee used a company attendance system to collect a colleague’s fingerprint and make silicone fingerprint covers, which were later used in a burglary involving 580,000 yuan (US$85,000).Even so, cybersecurity experts urged the public not to overreact.Pei Zhiyong, director of the Qianxin Industry Security Research Centre, said extracting fingerprints from selfies was technically possible but difficult to carry out in real-world situations.He said fingerprints were generally used in relatively low-security settings. A more serious risk is their use in forged documents, although such cases remain rare.A laughing woman dressed in black presents the v sign and takes a selfie. Photo: ShutterstockPei added that technology was also helping to counter new forms of fraud, with some AI tools now able to detect face-swapping in real time.For suspicious video calls, he advised users not to rely only on what they see on screen. Instead, they should hang up and call the person directly, or ask questions only the real person would know.As AI image-processing tools grow more powerful, privacy risks hidden in selfies are expanding beyond fingerprints.Some social media users raised concerns about apps and games offering “AI face reading” or “free palm reading” tests, warning that such services may collect, store or misuse biometric data.In one earlier case, an employee at a Shanghai tech company illegally collected and stored more than 1,700 facial biometric records through a “beauty test” app before selling the data on the dark web.