Apple Becomes the Latest Member of FIDO in the Race to Passwordless Authentication

Apple Inc has become the newest member of the Fast Identity Alliance Online (FIDO) a group aiming to have zero password access to devices. Among the association members are big names such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Intel, ARM and Samsung.

Apple Joins FIDO Alliance

Apple recently announced it has joined the FIDO alliance, an industry organisation committed to removing the need to access devices via passwords. The Tech giant joined the association last week but deliberately refused to officially  give a public announcement.

Why do we Need No Passwords?

FIDO's most prominent agenda is to eliminate passwords in future devices, a dream shared by many tech consumers and manufacturers alike. In the past a user was required to memorize a few passwords to be able to access most of their online profiles. At the moment an average person has to use hundreds of passwords to access their online profiles and Utilities services. It becomes very tedious for one to remember the many passwords.

The issue of passwords is worse for IOS devices where it is hard to swap between numbers, letters and symbols which are contained in a single password. The current  solution to password issues includes Biometric access such as Face ID and Touch ID. Although password managers can ease the pressure of dealing with a multitude of passwords, they are still tedious to the common users.

The issue becomes worse for non tech users who may end up using a single password for all their online activities. This does not only put their accounts at high risks but also poses a threat as they can be locked out of their accounts once they forget such a password. Whenever a hacker successfully gets into one of the accounts, all the user accounts would be compromised.

Apple is Cautious about Innovations

As coinidol.com, a world blockchain news outlet, has previously reported, Apple has been striving to improve the security of their Apps. For this reason, they have banned the possibility to use iPhones and iPads for cryptocurrency mining. 

As 2020 has begun, Apple issued another ban related to innovative technologies. Having considered blockchain to be a threat, the company prohibited decentralized applications from their store, meaning no one is able to buy, download or even access them legally. The move has probably been caused by the giant’s fear of losing its monopoly and dominance in the market.  

Probably, the step towards passwordless identification is another attempt to strengthen its position in the market, as using numerous passwords can be highly inconvenient, and using a single password for all apps and services can expose a user to a high level of risk. On the other hand, protocols and algorithms for passwordless access might also appear risky enough as they might cause soll of the user’s data in case they are compromised. 

Anyway, by joining the Alliance, Apple could potentially help with developing improved standards to allow truly secure and passwordless authentication that has been long awaited.