Google's Android (Photo : Twitter)
Google announced on May 20, Friday at its I/O developer conference that it has plans to replace traditional passwords with something it calls Trust Scores. It would use various data points about users of Android smartphones and tablets to authenticate logins. The Alphabet company has been working on the password-free feature for a year and will roll it out to several big banks during the next weeks.
Google's push for a password-free world is from its Project Abacus, according to Greenbot. It is working on a system of biometrics for more secure logins.
The trust score includes several data points. They include current location, speech/voice similarities, facial recognition, typing patterns, and smart clothing from the tech giant's Project Jacquard.
Different mobile apps could require different scores. For example, the social network Instagram might require a lower score than a banking app.
Developers could set the minimum trust scores required to verify that people are who they say they are.
In addition, Trust API runs in the background of mobile devices. It keeps track of its sensors and data to keep providing apps with trust scores.
Dan Kaufman is head of Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) division. He stated at I/O 2016 last week that the company hopes to roll out its Trust API to all global Android developers by the end of this year, according to The Verge.
Kaufman said that a smartphone's sensors should be used to learn who the user is, and end the need to type in a password.
Project Abacus is already being tested at 33 universities. Meanwhile, banks will start testing the password-free logins next month.
The release of the trust score system will be based on the results of tests with banks. However, in theory the Trust API would be better than traditional passwords, which have a bad track record even with two-step authentication.
This is not the first time Google has taken steps to get rid of passwords. For example, its Smart Lock uses Google credentials to make an automatic login for mobile apps. Until the tech company has a wide rollout for non-password tech, one short-term option is a password manager.
Here's how to choose a strong password:
