Tom Sparks (YC engineer and CryptoSeal co-founder) discusses future applications of bio-aware sensors and biometric tracking devices.
Opinion
Sparks: Government Cannot Force Apple to Decrypt Data, Android Is Less Secure
“They can't make Apple decrypt what you've got. If you've got an Android phone, you're much less well off.”
Opinion
Sparks: Git Has a Poor Security Model Compared to Older Version Control
“I feel like maybe the Git security model is pretty bad when you compare it to some of the older stuff, but you know, the usability you get out of it is like way, way higher.”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Sparks: Consumer devices will probably adopt DNA or chemical identification
“Looking forward, I think we'll even see probably like DNA ID. I mean, sensors are getting smaller and smaller all the time. You know, you can detect so many different factors, like humans have, you know, unique chemical fingerprints even. So you could have som…”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Sparks: A personal friend was first to break iPhone Touch ID
“Funnily enough, a buddy of mine was the first person to break the touch ID on the iPhone.”
Insight
Sparks: Reinventing security mechanisms is the worst mistake developers can make
“I think there's a good trend of people just not reinventing the wheel for security. Reinventing the wheel is pretty much the worst thing you can do. I mean, every time we see, you know, a big hack, it's because of somebody did something where they're like, oh,…”
Insight
Sparks: Startups should outsource authentication rather than build custom auth systems
“I think outsourcing auth is a really important thing. You know, a lot is great. You know Samuel is great. Most companies don't really need to worry about auth, you know, in, in that way, you know, Facebook auth is great. It's ubiquitous. It's pretty solid, you…”