Why I Still Hate Passwords
Look, I’m gonna say it: passwords are the worst. I mean, seriously. It’s 2023 and we’re still dealing with this ancient, broken system. I’ve been in tech for over two decades, and I’ve seen trends come and go, but passwords? They’re like that annoying houseguest who just won’t leave.
Last Tuesday, I was trying to log into some random website I haven’t visited since 2018. You know the drill—’password must contain a capital letter, a number, a special character, and the blood of a virgin.’ I’m sitting there, swearing at my screen, thinking, ‘Why am I doing this? Why is this still a thing?’
I called up my old friend Marcus—let’s call him Marcus because his real name is too complicated to explain—to vent. ‘You’re preaching to the choir,’ he said. ‘I had to reset my bank password the other day. Took me 17 attempts. Seventeen! Who has time for this?’
And honestly, he’s right. Who does have time for this? We’re in the age of AI, quantum computing, and self-driving cars, but we’re still stuck with passwords. It’s like trying to build a spaceship with stone tools.
Two-Factor Authentication: The Band-Aid Solution
Okay, okay, I know. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is supposed to be the savior. And yeah, it’s better than nothing. But let’s be real—it’s a band-aid on a gaping wound. I mean, have you ever tried to use 2FA when you’re in a hurry? It’s like trying to put on a condom with mittens on.
About three months ago, I was at a conference in Austin, trying to check into my hotel. The system was down, so I had to use the backup code. Which, of course, I didn’t have because I’d written it down on a sticky note that had since been eaten by my dog. So there I was, standing at the front desk at 11:30 PM, sweating like a sinner in church, trying to explain to the receptionist that I was, in fact, a real person and not some hacker trying to steal the hotel’s Wi-Fi.
Which, by the way, is another thing. Why do we still rely on these archaic systems? Why can’t we just use something better? Something more secure? Something that doesn’t make us want to throw our phones across the room?
The Promise of Biometrics
Now, biometrics—that’s more like it. Fingerprint scanners, facial recognition, even iris scans. These are the kinds of things that make me think, ‘Okay, maybe we’re making progress.’ I remember the first time I used a fingerprint scanner to unlock my phone. It was like living in the future. I felt like a cyborg. It was awesome.
But then, of course, there’s the downside. Privacy concerns, security risks, the whole ‘what if someone cuts off my finger and uses it to unlock my phone’ scenario. I mean, come on. That’s some Mission Impossible stuff right there.
I talked to a colleague named Dave about this. He’s a cybersecurity expert, or at least he pretends to be. ‘Biometrics are great,’ he said, ‘but they’re not foolproof. And neither is any other system, honestly.’ Which… yeah. Fair enough.
And Then There’s SMS Verification
Speaking of not foolproof, let’s talk about SMS verification. You know the drill—you try to log in, and the system sends a code to your phone. Which is fine, except when it doesn’t. Or when you’re in an area with no signal. Or when your phone dies. Or when you’re just having a bad day and the universe decides to mess with you.
But look, I get it. SMS verification is a step up from passwords. It’s an extra layer of security. And there are services out there that make it easier for developers to implement. Like, for example, sms verification service for developers. (Which, by the way, is a mouthful. But hey, that’s tech for you.)
I mean, it’s not perfect. Nothing is. But it’s a start. And honestly, at this point, I’ll take any start I can get.
A Brief Digression: The Time I Forgot My Own Password
Speaking of passwords, let me tell you about the time I forgot my own password. It was embarassing. It was humiliating. It was… well, it was a learning experience.
I was working on a project, right? And I needed to log into this one website. And I couldn’t remember the password. I tried everything. I tried the usual suspects—’password,’ ‘123456,’ my birthdate. Nothing. I even tried my cat’s name. No luck.
So I had to reset it. And the reset process was a nightmare. It wanted to know my mother’s maiden name, my first pet’s name, the street I grew up on. I mean, who remembers this stuff? I’m a tech editor, not a walking encyclopedia of personal trivia.
But I digress. The point is, passwords are a pain. And until we find a better system, we’re all gonna keep suffering.
The Future of Authentication
So what’s the future of authentication? I’m not sure. Maybe it’s biometrics. Maybe it’s something we haven’t even thought of yet. Maybe it’s a combination of both. But whatever it is, it needs to be better than what we have now.
Because honestly, I’m tired of passwords. I’m tired of 2FA. I’m tired of SMS verification. I’m tired of it all. I want something better. I want something easier. I want something that doesn’t make me want to pull my hair out.
And I think we all deserve that. We deserve a better system. A system that’s secure, but also user-friendly. A system that doesn’t make us feel like we’re living in the stone age.
So come on, tech world. Step it up. Give us something better. Give us a reason to believe in you again.
Because right now, I’m not feeling the love.
About the Author
I’m Sarah, a senior magazine editor with more than 20 years of experience in the tech industry. I’ve seen it all, from the rise of the internet to the fall of MySpace. I’m opinionated, I’m blunt, and I’m not afraid to call out the industry when it’s being stupid. Which is often. Follow me on Twitter @SarahTechEdit, or don’t. I won’t judge. Probably.
