The end of password logins just got a lot closer to becoming a reality.
The %FIDOAlliance, an industry group aimed at standardizing authentication methods online, announced that its %PasswordFree sign-on method has received support from the biggest browser companies: %Apple ($AAPL), %Microsoft ($MSFT), and %Google ($GOOGL).
This development means that, later this year, most people around the world will be able to sign into various web accounts across the internet without using a password in major browsers such as Google and Bing.
Instead of asking people to enter a password, websites will push a notification to a person’s smartphone that prompts them to verify their identity. People will be able to authenticate in much the same way that they now unlock their phones.
People might be required to enter a personal identification number (PIN), use their phone’s fingerprint sensor, or a facial recognition unlocking system.
The FIDO Alliance’s passkey system lets people use one of their existing devices to authenticate by sending the unlock request to that device using Bluetooth. If people have their phone, laptop, or iPad nearby, they can login with this method anywhere and at any time.
Some apps and websites offer a biometric authentication option already, but, in most cases, people must still have an existing account that was created with a password in order to activate the biometrics.
The new FIDO system will allow people to use the biometric option from the start, meaning they’ll never need to even come up with a password to create an account.
Importantly, the passkey system doesn’t replace two-factor authentication; it just replaces the password in a standard authentication flow.
The FIDO Alliance published a white paper this past March outlining its new authentication method, but the announcement that the big browser makers support it helps to ensure that the new authentication system will become widely available around the world.