Would you trust Google to do away with passwords?

PASSWORDS ARE PASSE: Google is developing a more secure alternative to PINs and passwords based on a trust score.

A new project at Google's advanced research unit aims to authenticate a user not via a PIN or a password but via a trust score, based on how that person has been using the device.

Every person has rhythms and routines and everyone has a unique way of using a smartphone or a tablet - how it's held, the weight and position of fingers on the screen and the swiping and tapping technique.

Google's idea is to monitor this type of behaviour so that when a user attempts to access a password protected site or app, the device can vouch for that user's identity based on this behaviour. No password or PIN.

Google is committed to eradicating the password and replacing it with something more secure and for its latest attempt it has partnered with 16 leading institutions to make the necessary breakthroughs as quickly as possible.

In tests with 1500 ‘donors' the system eventually achieved security levels 10 times greater than fingerprint scanners. — AFP Relaxnews