Apple has responded to Senator Al Franken's concerns over the privacy implications of its Face ID feature, which is set to debut on the iPhone X next month. In his letter to Tim Cook, Franken asked about customer security, third-party access to data (including requests by law enforcement), and whether the tech could recognize a diverse set of faces. In its response, Apple indicates that it's already detailed the tech in a white paper and Knowledge Base article -- which provides answers to "all of the questions you raise". But, it also offers a recap of the feature regardless (a TL:DR, if you will). Apple reiterates that the chance of a random person unlocking your phone is one in a million (in comparison to one in 500,000 for Touch ID).

There have been numerous questions surrounding the iPhone X's Face ID, especially after the demo blip during the keynote. To address concerns, Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi has been making media rounds about the facial recognition feature. Federighi went on John Gruber's "Talk Show" and assured users' concerns about the Face ID will "melt away" when they start using the 10th-anniversary device. "You don't even think about it, it just works" he said. He also said concerns about the Face ID are similar to when Apple revealed the Touch ID, which launched on the iPhone 5s.

New details about the iPhone X's Face ID have surfaced. The feature will reportedly be limited to one person and will work with sunglasses, which had not been previously specified. Apple revealed the iPhone X at its new Steve Jobs theater this week, and with it comes Face ID, a facial recognition feature that will take the place of the Touch ID. Face ID will work to unlock the device, with payments on Apple Pay, Animoji (Apple's new customized animated emoji) and with third-party apps. The feature keeps sensitive data safe with its True Depth camera system that includes an infrared camera.

A lot of people quickly raised concerns about privacy and security the moment Apple revealed iPhone X and its Face ID feature. Edward Snowden, for instance, thinks it normalizes face scanning, "a tech certain to be abused." Now, US Senator Al Franken is pressing the tech titan for answers, penning a letter addressed to Apple chief Tim Cook with a list of questions concerning the technology's "eventual uses that may not be contemplated by" its customers. While Cupertino already said during its keynote that Face ID details will be saved on the phone itself, Franken wants to know whether it's currently possible for Apple or a third party to access (and then save) that data either remotely or through physical access to one's iPhone. He wants to know all the steps Apple has taken to ensure the tech can't be fooled by masks and photographs.

Despite trying to assuage fears its new facial recognition technology, known as Face ID is safe and secure, Apple has received an inquiry from the U.S. Senate about just how safe it really is. In a letter addressed to Apple CEO Timothy D. Cook, Sen. Al Franken, D-MN, notes that while details of the highly-anticipated iPhone X, which uses Face ID and its unlocking capabilities are still emerging, he is "encouraged by the steps that Apple states it has taken to implement the system responsibly." Despite that, some questions still remain. "However, substantial questions remain about how Face ID will impact iPhone users' privacy and security, and whether the technology will perform equally well on different groups of people," the former "Saturday Night Live" cast member turned politician wrote in the letter. "To offer clarity to the millions of Americans who use your products, I ask that you provide more information on how the company has processed these issues internally, as well as any additional steps that it intends to take to protect its users."

Apple's recently revealed feature, the Face ID, which scans a user's face to unlock its iPhone X device has raised privacy concerns -- Sen. Al Franken (D-Minnesota) called on the company's CEO, Tim Cook to address these concerns in an open letter Thursday. Franken believes biometric data that Apple is accessing, needs to be guarded by privacy and security guidelines. Apple will actually store a face print -- a scan of your face to match up with the biometric lock on your phone. Franken has raised concerns about the use of these face prints. "To benefit other sectors of its business, sell it to third parties for surveillance purposes, or receive law enforcement requests to access it facial recognition system -- eventual uses that may not be contemplated by Apple customers," the lawmaker said in an open letter to Cook. Face ID uses a dot projector, infrared technology, and a flood illuminator along with a bionic A11 chipset to create a depth map and image data of a user's face.

Senators, law enforcement officials, and assorted experts attended a judiciary hearing yesterday to discuss the implications of drones in U.S. airspace. Right now drones aren't a part of everyday life for most Americans, but that's changing with 81 organizations--including government agencies, police departments, and universities-- cleared to fly robots in the U.S. and more expected down the line. In 2015, the Federal Aviation Authority plans to allow the first commercial use of drones in the United States. That might sound scary to people worried about a drone flying overhead and--legally--snapping pictures of them in their backyard sunning in their birthday suit. Thing is, that future has already arrived.

The FBI has fallen short on assessing the privacy risks and accuracy of a huge facial recognition database used by several law enforcement agencies, a government auditor has said. A new report, released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office Wednesday, shows the FBI's use of facial recognition technology is "far greater" than previously understood, said Senator Al Franken, the Minnesota Democrat who requested the GAO report. The FBI's Next Generation Identification-Interstate Photo System (NGI-IPS), which allows law enforcement agencies to search a database of more than 30 million photos of 16.9 million people, raises serious privacy concerns, Franken added in a press release. "Facial recognition technology is a new and powerful tool that holds great promise for law enforcement," he said. "But if we don't ensure its accuracy and guard against misuse, I am concerned about the risk of innocent Americans being inadvertently swept up in criminal investigations."