San Francisco: Meta owned WhatsApp Tuesday October 17, 2023 announced to roll-out biometric based “PassKey” to make log-in to the popular app easier and ‘password-less’.
“‘PassKey” is the new authentication method using finger print, face recognition system or simply pin un-lock for signing in adopted by software companies.
Power-less log-in is in news since last more than a year. In May this year, Google started rolling-out the feature to its users for log-in to different Google applications and websites.
About a week, Google users started getting prompts asking them to create and use “PassKey” to sign-in though users had the options to use their password to log-in.
WhatsApp now has also introduced the feature though only for Android users. The company has not disclosed yet when the feature will be available to iOS users.
“Android users can now easily and securely log back in with passkeys. Use only your face, finger print, or pin to unlock your WhatsApp account,” the company announced on X originally launched as Twitter.
Users need to go to settings under the "Account" tab on WhatsApp to activate the feature.
Once there, they will be asked if they want to create a PassKey using their phone’s facial recognition scanner, screen lock or fingerprint scanner.
Users will then be asked to verify their identity to let WhatsApp log-in to their account without typing any password or SMS code, thus activating the feature to log-in without password.
The software majors are calling the password-less log-in a major breakthrough for easier and hassle-free authentication to use their online applications.
Tech analysts however are wary, fearing that the feature will ultimately end in being another major cause for privacy breach and personal security.
“All the passwords are stored in the server of software majors and prone to misuse as they are accessible to the company staffers. With password-less biometric based passkeys these companies will have the finger prints and face records of all the users. Sharing such biometric and very personal identification details unique to an individual with these companies definitely is not without risk”, Razee Anwar, a Software Developer who owns WigitalCampus, an ERP Solution for School and College Management, told ummid.com.
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