September 19, 2024

🔙 Throwback Thursday for 2024-09-19

I'm diving into Google's new passkey management while pondering its reliability and future.

🙏 And a big thanks to all our sponsors! 🙏

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Have you visited the “Killed by Google” website before?

Google Graveyard - Killed by Google

Killed by Google is the open source list of dead Google products, services, and devices. It serves as a tribute and memorial of beloved services and products killed by Google.

The reason I ask in this ⬅️ Throwback Thursday is because Google is getting into the passkey management business with a new product.

Techmeme: Google announces Password Manager PIN to let users sync passkeys across Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android devices, with iOS support coming soon (Jess Weatherbed/The Verge)

By Jess Weatherbed / The Verge. View the full context on Techmeme.

I had so many thoughts about this that I decided to open my dictation and note summarization stack from Limitless AI. 🤓

Limitless isn’t perfect but it is helpful for turning 10 minutes of me talking extemporaneously while staring at Techmeme into a set of notes and observations. 🤓

I’ve hyperlinked where appropriate as Limitless doesn’t know (or isn’t supposed to know) what I’m looking at on screen while I’m talking. 🤓

Notes and Observations

• Google's Entry into Passkey and Password Manager Sector:

  • Google is entering the password manager and passkey sector, prompting a discussion about the longevity and trustworthiness of Google's products, given Google’s track record of discontinuing things.

  • The implications of Google managing passkeys were highlighted, given the potential for service shutdowns and the domain Google could have over users' security keys.

• Passkeys and the Rise of New Security Standards:

  • Passkeys represent a focus on combating phishing and simplifying user account management, especially as systems become more interconnected.

  • Key developments took place leading up to the formation of FIDO Alliance in February 2013.

  • Passkeys are a relatively new concept, with Microsoft and Apple showcasing demos of functionality for passkeys over the past few years. Outside of specific vendors, FIDO Alliance is working on open authentication standards to enhance security overall.

• Trust and Compatibility Concerns:

  • Discussion centered around which companies (e.g., Apple, Google) consumers should trust with their passkeys and whether these systems will allow for seamless migration of security information if necessary.

  • Google and Apple have been encouraging users to create passkeys, aiming to phase out traditional passwords.

• Potential Industry Shifts:

  • Google's moves could pose competitive challenges to Apple's ecosystem, which typically restricts passkeys to Apple devices.

  • Google's approach hints at broader compatibility across device manufacturers and operating systems, unlike Apple's more vertically integrated (closed) system.

• Questions About Product Longevity:

  • Google's past with product lifecycles raises questions about the long-term viability of their password management solutions.

  • Despite Google Chrome's continued success, other products have been polarizing or discontinued, leading to skepticism about the new password manager’s longevity.

Well, I do think that Limitless AI notes and observations make me sound very negative. 🤣 Actually, I think any products or services that moves us beyond usernames and written passwords on notes attached to computer screens or desks is a very good thing.

I went back and read my transcript and the color of my word choice probably favored a summary that reads heavily skewed towards words like “concern” and “skepticism” even if that is a reference to other perspectives that are not necessarily mine.

Note: Some images via Unsplash

Disclosure

I am linking to my disclosure.

Cuthrell Consulting LLC
Attn: Jay Cuthrell
1903 Live Oak St #92
Beaufort, NC 28516-0092

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