When it comes to securing accounts from hackers, passwords are now widely considered the gold standard.
And yet they’re still not offered by one of the big four apps and services on the web, including Instagram, Netflix and Spotify. These statistics plusme from a new website that names and shames companies that still don’t give users the option to use passwords to sign in to their apps and services.
Passwords are more secure than passcodes because they are created by a user’s device and are tied to that phone or computer and the website they were created for. They can be based on biometrics such as Face ID, Touch ID or a physical security key. and can be automatically saved in one’s password manager. The critical advantage of passwords is that the user doesn’t have to remember anything – unlike a password – and they’re much harder to steal or phish for a hacker unless they gain physical control of the target’s devices.
Scott Helme, the longtime security researcher who created the site Whynopasskeys.comhe wrote in a blog post that the motivation behind the site is to push companies to enable passwords and give users a chance to adopt them. “A list is an amazingly effective motivator. Nobody wants to be on a list,” Helme wrote.
Big companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft are on the good side of the list and offer passwords to users.
It’s important to note that users can enable passwords on Instagram, but only if their account is linked to a password-enabled Facebook account.
Meta did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment on why some of its products, such as Facebook and WhatsApp, offer passwords, but Instagram does not. TechCrunch also reached out to Netflix and Spotify. This article will be updated if any of these companies submit a comment.
