Apple's recent announcement of Passkeys, a password-free authentication method that will be included in iOS 16 and macOS 13, could be the first big step toward a future without passwords. Tech giants like Apple, Google and Microsoft have adopted FIDO (Fast Identity Online) authentication standards that are designed to help reduce user's reliance on passwords.
Sadly, most people use weak passwords, reuse passwords and generally don't know how to keep themselves as safe as possible online. Eliminating the need for passwords could be a huge leap forward in protecting people from cybercriminals.
I'm eager to see how well Passkeys works in the real world. As a cybersecurity advocate and educator I'm concerned that widespread adoption of FIDO-based authentication methods may create a new kind of "digital divide", at least until the transition from a password-dependent world to a password-free world is complete.
Early adopters will embrace Passkeys (and other FIDO-based schemes from other companies), but everyday users are likely to lag behind. This could create a two-tiered future where the technically literate become safer and the not-so-techy users continue to be the victims of various kinds of online crime at disproportionate rates.
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