At best, passwords are inconvenient. It’s no wonder then that technology companies have been trying to change the way we use passwords. Google might have found a solution, but it comes with a cost of privacy some might not want to pay.
The company has announced that it aims to end passwords this year. The unlocking feature for smartphones uses metrics like how you type, speak and interact with your device to calculate a “trust score,” which is essentially its belief that you are who you are supposed to be. What happens if the computer doesn’t think it’s you? It might ask for proof, meaning you may end up giving more information to persuade your own computer it’s really you.
In exchange for their services like email, we hand over personal information that is used for advertising. Tolerance for divulging information varies but the direction of travel is clear. Companies will continue to innovate – in ways that compel us to willingly hand over the content of our lives to them.
