An image has spread on X (Twitter) spread by a user that warns of something that we should all take into account. In general, people are already quite cautious when it comes to posting photos that contain personal data, such as official documents, and also when it comes to clearly showing where we live. However, there is a gesture that we have all done at some point and that can also be used for dubious purposes by a stranger.
It is about showing your thumbs to the camera , showing them upwards as when we want to express an ‘ok’ or ‘everything is correct’. The idea may also arise for another reason, such as showing your users your ink-stained thumb as proof that you have voted.
This is what Samuel García, the governor of the state of Nuevo León, in Mexico, would have done, at least according to the capture released by the user @ivancastl this Monday. As seen in the image, shared on Instagram Stories, the politician clearly and closely shows his thumb, which is stained with ink, as he wants to explain with this to his followers that he has participated in a electoral process.
However, and as the OSINT expert user indicates, it is relatively easy to obtain a fingerprint scan using Python from a photograph like this, which does not need to be of enormous quality, and can be done with a mobile phone: « These are the results of the original image processed in gray scale with Python, which allows the lines of the footprint to stand out better. I display it to raise awareness among those who have uploaded their photographs, at no time for malicious purposes,” indicates the user.
Although surprised, many users comment that this information, by itself, will not be of much use in carrying out possible identity theft. However, this in itself is very personal information about us, which no one else should have. Even if it didn’t affect us directly, someone could make a 3D mold of it, for example, for whatever purpose.
In fact, another user puts more imagination into it and comments on how far the matter could go if someone is truly interested in our footprint: “Now with that information, you generate a “bump” map, to which you give 3D values using some Rhinoceros 3D, or Substance Designer. You convert that into a 3D model in .STL format and send it to be printed on a resin 3D printer for maximum quality. Now you have a finger copied from the governor,” warns @rg_tercero .
Another item on the list of things to avoid publishing
For all these reasons, we should avoid uploading images of this type to the Internet, because prevention is always better than cure. In addition, many users warn that it is not even necessary to use the Python programming language to achieve a fingerprint detail like the one seen in the image. Actually, it would be worth using a photo editor like Photoshop or even the iPhone editor, to transform the image into grayscale and obtain a similar result.
It is even more delicate considering that fingerprints are one of the clues most used by the Police when searching for suspected criminals, for example, as well as the various security services that use a scan of the fingerprint to allow access. . It wasn’t that long ago that Worldcoin , Sam Altman’s startup, was banned in Spain from continuing to scan citizens’ irises in exchange for a financial reward.