Judge Rules That Feds <br />Can't Force a Person to <br />Unlock Their Phone The ruling of the California <br />judge could turn out to be <br />a landmark decision. It states that police cannot <br />force people to unlock <br />their smartphones with <br />their finger or their face. Previously, these biometrics <br />were deemed allowable by U.S. judges. The previous rulings <br />did not consider a <br />biometric unlocking <br />of a phone "testimony," and therefore <br />wasn't granted Fifth <br />Amendment protections. In making the ruling, <br />the judge compared <br />unlocking a phone using <br />biometrics to the The judge ruled that making <br />someone unlock a phone with <br />a finger or face was "testimonial" granting it Fifth <br />Amendment protections. The ruling has the <br />potential to be overturned.
