A warning to all the selfie queens out there: you can be hacked!

Next time someone poses for a selfie with their fingers held up in a peace sign, maybe tell them to leave it at a smile.

An ordinary photo of the universal sign of goodwill might be enough for a thief to copy a fingerprint, thanks to the high quality of digital photos these days. And since Touch ID and similar technologies turn fingerprints into keys that unlock our devices and the data we keep in them, that’s cause for concern.

Just by casually making a peace sign in front of a camera, fingerprints can become widely available.

A team at the NII’s Digital Content and Media Sciences Research Division, Japan was able to reconstruct fingerprints spotted in pictures taken from up to 3 meters away.

“Fingerprint data can be re-created if fingerprints are in focus with strong lighting in a picture.” - Isao Echizen, a professor at Japan’s National Institute of Informatics

The peace sign is a common expression in social media pictures, but this technique could conceivably be applied to other common gestures like waving or giving a thumbs up. Matched with a person’s face, that makes for a significant amount of biometric data that identity thieves could do real damage with.

How Thieves Could Get Fingerprints From Selfies

The technique described by Echizen uses no special software, but does require good lighting - so for the moment you can feel free to flash whatever signs you like when the light is low. As mobile cameras become more and more powerful, though, selfies will become a bigger security liability.

The better alternative might be to make sure you aren’t relying on fingerprint security measures whenever possible. Or just avoid selfies altogether.

'Hashtag,' 'selfie,' and 'tweep' have officially been added to the dictionary.

Tech terms continue to wind their way into the dictionary.

"Hashtag," "selfie," and "tweep" are just three of the latest words recently added to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam-Webster announced on Monday. The new words have already popped up in the online edition and will join the print version as well.

Other tech terms that are now part of the club include "crowdfunding," "big data," "gamification," and "steampunk."

Merriam-Webster has also added "catfish" to the list. In addition to describing the actual fish, "catfish" refers to a "person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes." The word came into play following a documentary and MTV TV series as well as the bizarre hoax perpetrated against football player Manti Te'o involving a nonexistent online girlfriend.

"So many of these new words show the impact of online connectivity to our lives and livelihoods," Peter Sokolowski, editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster, said in a statement. "Tweep, selfie, and hashtag refer to the ways we communicate and share as individuals. Words like crowdfunding, gamification, and big data show that the Internet has changed business in profound ways."

Source: Merriam-Webster

Twerk, selfie, emoji and others have been added to the Oxford Dictionary.

Oh what a glorious day...The Oxford Dictionaries Online is adding a slew of words, from bitcoin to twerk.

Before you completely lose it like I did, the Oxford Dictionaries Online is separate from the Oxford English Dictionary, though both are published by the Oxford University Press. The ODO changes much more frequently, and has added text-speak acronyms like OMG and LOL in recent years. The OED adds words much less frequently and never removes a word once it has been added.

The new words are an odd mix of techie and tween-y. Here are some of the words that are being added:

Tech Division

bitcoin, n.: a digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank.
BYOD, n.: abbreviation of ‘bring your own device’: the practice of allowing the employees of an organization to use their own computers, smartphones, or other devices for work purposes.

digital detox, n.: a period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, regarded as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world.

geek chic, n.: the dress, appearance, and culture associated with computing and technology enthusiasts, regarded as stylish or fashionable.

Internet of things, n.: a proposed development of the Internet in which everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing them to send and receive data.
MOOC, n.: a course of study made available over the Internet without charge to a very large number of people.
phablet, n.: a smartphone having a screen which is intermediate in size between that of a typical smartphone and a tablet computer.

unlike, v.: withdraw one’s liking or approval of (a web page or posting on a social media website that one has previously liked).
These ones are pretty straightforward, covering a nice, broad range of words that people make up in the tech world.

Middle School Division

dappy, adj. (informal): silly, disorganized, or lacking concentration.
derp, exclam. & n. (informal): (used as a substitute for) speech regarded as meaningless or stupid, or to comment on a foolish or stupid action.
squee, exclam. & v. & n. (informal): (used to express) great delight or excitement.
twerk, v.: dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance.

The Glorious Overlap

Here’s where it really gets fun–slang that you’d think no self-respecting adult would use, but is actually commonplace in Silicon Valley.
emoji, n: a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication.
Ah, to use emojis or stickers in your social network or messaging service?? An age old business question that harkens back to the Rockefellers and Carnegies.
FOMO, n.: fear of missing out: anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.
I know what you’re thinking–really, Billy? You’re putting FOMO in both sections? But don’t sit there and honestly say you haven’t heard numerous VCs say said they had FOMO about a round.
selfie, n. (informal): a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.

Source: Tech Crunch