Re:Passkeys: A Shattered Dream
by al_borland on Friday April 26, 2024 @05:44PM
(#40174678)
I have been using 1Password for over 15 years and it has the ability to only show/fill passwords when on the correct site. The issue is, over time, companies shift their strategies on the web. URLs change, while the accounts stay the same. I have had to update these details many times. I've also run into situations where the browser plugin isn't functioning, for whatever reason, and the only way in is to copy/paste. There are also times where I'm not on my computer. For example, I usually piggyback on my dad's copy of TurboTax each year. When I'm over there, I will often need to pull up a password on my phone and type it into TurboTax as it logs into my bank to download the tax forms. Passkeys don't sound like they can solve that problem. I'd question if the Passkeys would work in TurboTax even if I was running it on my own computer.
With passwords and logins, it seems like there are far too many edge cases to draw a hard line to say they are locked in the password manager forever. Having a way to copy it out, or export, is also a way to ensure portability, if the password manager being used ever becomes bad and a different option is needed.
Password managers put users in a vulnerable position, as once a user is invested, they've got you by the short hairs. The thing that keeps this from being a big problem, is that there is always a way out. Eliminating this way out, or raising the barrier to exit, can temp these password managers to extort their users, which is not good.
With passwords and logins, it seems like there are far too many edge cases to draw a hard line to say they are locked in the password manager forever. Having a way to copy it out, or export, is also a way to ensure portability, if the password manager being used ever becomes bad and a different option is needed.
Password managers put users in a vulnerable position, as once a user is invested, they've got you by the short hairs. The thing that keeps this from being a big problem, is that there is always a way out. Eliminating this way out, or raising the barrier to exit, can temp these password managers to extort their users, which is not good.