[freehunter]

>At best, a fingerprint establishes identity

Nope. At best a fingerprint establishes identity in a unique and authoritative manner. My name is an identity, and anyone can say or write my name. My SSN is an identity, and anyone can say or write my SSN. No one else can speak, type, write, or otherwise express my fingerprint. That is far beyond simple "identity".

[TeMPOraL]

> No one else can speak, type, write, or otherwise express my fingerprint.

Neither can you. You can only show your fingerprint for inspection - and so can anyone else.

And, unlike SSN or even your name, you leak fingerprints (and facial info) everywhere, all the time.

[freehunter]

>Neither can you.

That's the point. It's not something I know, it's something I am and only I am that thing.

And unlike a password, if you want my fingerprint you have to be physically near me, and if you want to authenticate as me you need my authentication hardware. A Brazilian hacker isn't going to unlock my iPhone without first flying to the US and then locating me in both space and time to gain access to my fingerprint and my phone simultaneously. But with a password, they could easily go to www.gmail.com and type whatever they want from the comfort of their own home.

[pishpash]

There is no identity without authentication. A fingerprint gives a little bit of weak authentication, in the clear, easily observed, easily forged, and irrevocable -- as bad as it gets.