(ECNS) -- Posing for a picture and flashing the V sign may expose your fingerprints, giving criminals an opportunity to steal your important information, Beijing News cited experts as saying.
Researchers with the National Institute of Informatics in Japan successfully retrieved fingerprint information from a picture during an experiment, even though the subject was photographed from three meters away, according to the newspaper.
Photos that include both people's faces and fingers run a higher risk of revealing personal information, and the risk for celebrities is even higher, it was added.
Chinese experts in fingerprint identification confirmed the possibility.
"Technically, we can use high-definition video cameras to obtain people's fingerprints," said Dr. Yin Desen of the First Institute of the Ministry of Public Security.
He also said that people's external features are easily recorded. However, compared to video, it is more difficult to obtain fingerprints through just one photo.
According to experts, criminals are able to use counterfeit fingerprints to commit crimes, such as stealing fingerprint passwords and signing agreements.
Yin said such crimes seldom happen in China, adding that fingerprint information has mostly been used in case investigations.
Yin warned that people should pay more attention when they leave fingerprints or use them as passwords.
