I Stopped Using Passwords. It’s Great—and a Total Mess

• Major tech companies and over 100 websites have already begun supporting passkeys, indicating a broad move towards this new technology.
• However, the transition is not without its challenges, as the author recounts initial difficulties with compatibility and technical glitches that hindered the seamless setup of passkey.
• Despite these early adoption pains, the broader implications of passkeys for online security and user experience are optimistic.

The transition from traditional passwords to passkeys represents a significant shift in online security and convenience. The author shares their journey of dealing with cumbersome and numerous passwords, highlighting the common frustrations many face with password management. Introducing passkeys, which utilize public key cryptography to allow for more secure and straightforward logins through biometrics or PINs, suggests a promising solution to these longstanding issues. Major tech companies and over 100 websites have already begun supporting passkeys, indicating a broad move towards this new technology.

The author’s experience with adopting passkeys for a dozen of their accounts provides a glimpse into this technology’s potential ease and security benefits. Creating and using passkeys is described as relatively simple, usually involving just a few clicks. The direct comparison to logging into a Coinbase account with a passkey illustrates the speed and convenience of passkey use, bypassing the need for remembering and entering passwords. However, the transition is not without its challenges, as the author recounts initial difficulties with compatibility and technical glitches that hindered the seamless setup of passkeys.

Despite these early adoption pains, the broader implications of passkeys for online security and user experience are optimistic. The technology offers a more secure alternative to passwords, potentially reducing phishing threats and the hassle of managing multiple passwords. Yet, the transition to a world where passkeys are universally accepted and seamlessly integrated across all platforms and devices will require time, coordination among various stakeholders, and user adaptation to new habits. For now, passwords remain a necessary fallback for many accounts, suggesting that the complete eradication of passwords is not yet on the horizon. The article underscores the importance of gradual adoption and familiarization with passkeys, alongside the continued need for awareness and careful management of where and how these new credentials are stored and used.

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