@Silica6149 | Hacker News

Iron nanoparticles controlled by a magnetic field it seems like.

The thing I'm curious about though is, how do they remove all the iron particles afterward? Would I just get a month's dose of iron each time this thing brushes my teeth?

Good idea, it's just I never thought twice about the cleanliness of a toothbrush. I guess it's been ingrained in me to think it's normal to run a toothbrush under water to "clean" it.

This sponge you put in your mouth made me think for the first time about how much bacteria is potentially on a normal toothbrush.

I'm betting this product is even less hygienic since it's a sponge instead of only bristles.

That's a good point, shouldn't the FBI's apps be open source?

Did not know that! How easily can irises be identified in person, though? Has a handheld scanner been developed yet?

Fingerprints can also be left on objects, which can be helpful for tracking someone.

Why does the FBI have to develop an app, though? Shouldn't they focus on what they're good at and able to do, like investigating crimes?

I think a lot of people are put off by the fact that the FBI took the time to make this instead of doing more important duties. The app seems to have good intentions, but its execution needs work, so there's not much benefit.

If it was a ad, was a company involved? Sending biometrics to any company should always make someone think twice.

Yup. It's just that they went out of their way to answer it... Almost like they're worried people won't download the app if they didn't say it upfront.

Interesting... the FBI could ask or already have a backdoor provided by Apple.

"An important note: The FBI is not collecting or storing any photos or information that you enter in the app."

Thanks for answering the question we all had, FBI.

Their news site looks like abandonware.

I agree the design is definitely outdated. It's also hilarious that it's exactly the kind of look I would've expected from an app released by the FBI.

The US doesn't have a good track record in that regard, even towards its own people.

Do the schools have to get the parent's permission somehow? This can't seem like a situation where the child has to make a commotion in order to not consent.

What? Did you ever find out what the fingerprints were used for?

This is like taking a DNA sample from child when they're born nowadays, it seems harmless now, but we can already see companies using this kind of data maliciously.

That's what I was thinking -- what incentive does the FBI have to develop this?

I'm in the same position with an M1 Pro. Although the new screens do look nice for dark mode...

Exactly, it's just Apple's style of copywriting.

I mean, apple knows their customer base. It wouldn't be unlikely that their writing is somehow catered to who they know would buy their devices.