Seriously you need to ask yourself if this paranoid borderline delusional state is really worth it.
If the government wanted to "get you" then they could do quite fine with all the existing technologies. If they wanted to frame a crime scene they could put your DNA everywhere. If they wanted to steal your bank accounts they could get your internet banking details. They have already been harbouring fingerprints for decades now.
Nothing Apple has announced will change that one iota.
My real worry is malware and fraud from private actors-- not governments. Criminals seem to be willing to go to amazing technical lengths to steal.
Looking at the personal computer software ecosystem and home computers, which are often bristling with malware, and extrapolating to phones, which will certainly have a larger install-base than personal computers, doesn't seem delusional at all. That's a ripe target for criminals.
Here's the problem I see - your phone is covered with your fingerprints. If someone steals your phone they've got your prints.
How long will it be until a super cheap fingerprint spoof kit is available? I envision something as simple as using some rubber cement to lift a print from the phone's case, sprinkle some dust (toner?) on it to emphasize the minutiae and then wrapping it around your own finger.
It will probably be more complicated than that, but all it takes is someone to discover a vulnerability in the hardware and all current phones will become insecure. The one thing you can count on is that if there is money to be had, there will be a lot of effort expended trying to find such vulnerabilities.
Outside HN context, people in general are not that literate when it comes to tech. Maybe I underestimate it but judging from minimum data around me, there's a very good reason why only a select-few companies are known by the majority of the world.
Chopping off the fingers has all kinds of barriers.
First, it takes a much larger empathy gap to physically hurt someone in such a visceral fashion versus simply threatening them with violence in order to mug them.
Second, the owner has to be involved in order to chop off their fingers. That means simply stealing it while it is unattended or even pick-pocketing it while the owner is distracted aren't options. My impression is that those are much more common cases than muggings.
Quite short sighted. It's not at all about being paranoid. This is a key, that if stolen is not able to be discarded and regenerated. It's fundamentally flawed as once it's compromised, and it will be, you're SOL.
Or, do you actually believe you'll live behind the walled garden that is Apple and have the faith in them to protect one of your biometric markers at the first trial?
If the government wanted to "get you" then they could do quite fine with all the existing technologies. If they wanted to frame a crime scene they could put your DNA everywhere. If they wanted to steal your bank accounts they could get your internet banking details. They have already been harbouring fingerprints for decades now.
Nothing Apple has announced will change that one iota.