this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2026
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[–] Maxxie@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (7 children)

That's correct, no sane implementation of biometrics stores your actual data. Its hashed when you log in to compare with the stored hash, then deleted.

It can leak if the server is compromised or misconfigured, so it is still worse than a password.

[–] Nomad 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

So right and so wrong at the same time. A hash loses be by definition information. So you can compare it to a fingerprint and decide if it matches. It can't be used to reconstruct a fingerprint due to complexity of fingerprints and the complexity. So you can't reuse the hash to authenticate anywhere, so stealing it has only reduced benefit. Maybe a mass surveillance state might want that to find your finger prints where you have been but this is a lot more work than just confirming your phone identifier and forcing the cell company to reveal you whereabouts.

[–] Maxxie@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

which part was wrong?

Because the hashing happens server-side, it still has access to the original data. Which is why I said

It can leak if the server is compromised or misconfigured

[–] Nomad 1 points 1 month ago

The hash for a password is not that secret. For a strong password it can't be used for anything bad really.

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