Google Has a Plan to Kill Off Passwords

Passwords are annoying to remember and can be insecure, so Google is turning to a new form of authentication to protect our personal information.

by Michael Reilly May 24, 2016 Is it finally the beginning of the end for passwords? From our laptops to our bank accounts to e-mail, social media accounts, and myriad other online services, passwords ostensibly protect almost every aspect of the lives we lead online. And yet they are annoying to remember and can be dangerously insecure. So why are they still with us?

On Friday, Google announced what may mark the beginning of the end of passwords as we know them. During his talk at Google I/O, Daniel Kaufman, the head of the company’s ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) arm, casually mentioned the rollout of a new way of securing Android apps called Trust API. Rather than using standard passwords, Trust API will use biometrics like facial recognition, your typing pattern, even how you walk to help determine that you are who you say you are.