Why the road from passwords to passkeys is long, bumpy, and worth it - probably

JennaWagner/Getty Images Out of the blue, I received a text from my father asking me, "What's the difference between a password and a passkey?" Somewhere, in his daily online journey, he was prompted by a website or application -- a "relying party" in authentication lingo -- to create a passkey. But the benefit wasn't clear to him. Nor did there seem to be any urgency. He figured I'd know what passkeys are and what to do the next time he gets a nudge to set one up. I told him, "Let's talk before you do anything." Also: Biometrics vs. passcodes: What lawyers say if you're worried about warrantless phone searches Prompts like the one my father saw will become increasingly commonplace in our daily digital lives. In fact, you are part of the tech industry's master plan for passkeys to eliminate passwords. I'm a proponent of that plan, but I'm not as optimistic as others are about its timing. Barriers to adoption While the current plan rests on a solid technical foundation, many impo ... Read full article.