Passkeys: A Shattered Dream

The ‎blog‏ ‎post provides ‎a ‎critical ‎perspective ‎on‏ ‎the ‎implementation‏ ‎and‏ ‎user ‎experience ‎of‏ ‎Passkeys, ‎particularly‏ ‎in ‎the ‎context ‎of‏ ‎WebAuthn‏ ‎(Web ‎Authentication).

The‏ ‎author ‎shares‏ ‎a ‎personal ‎anecdote ‎to ‎highlight‏ ‎the‏ ‎issues ‎faced‏ ‎by ‎users,‏ ‎leading ‎to ‎a ‎broader ‎critique‏ ‎of‏ ‎Passkeys.

📌Personal‏ ‎Experience ‎with‏ ‎Passkey ‎Failure: The‏ ‎author ‎begins‏ ‎with‏ ‎a ‎personal‏ ‎story ‎where ‎their ‎partner ‎was‏ ‎unable ‎to‏ ‎access‏ ‎their ‎home ‎light‏ ‎control ‎system‏ ‎because ‎her ‎Apple ‎Keychain‏ ‎had‏ ‎deleted ‎the‏ ‎Passkey ‎she‏ ‎was ‎using. ‎This ‎incident ‎serves‏ ‎as‏ ‎an ‎example‏ ‎of ‎the‏ ‎practical ‎issues ‎users ‎face ‎with‏ ‎Passkeys.

📌Critique‏ ‎of‏ ‎WebAuthn’s ‎Evolution:‏ ‎The ‎author‏ ‎reflects ‎on‏ ‎their‏ ‎involvement ‎with‏ ‎WebAuthn, ‎starting ‎from ‎its ‎early‏ ‎days. ‎They‏ ‎recount‏ ‎their ‎optimism ‎and‏ ‎contributions ‎to‏ ‎the ‎WebAuthn ‎workgroup, ‎aiming‏ ‎to‏ ‎improve ‎the‏ ‎standard. ‎However,‏ ‎they ‎express ‎disappointment ‎in ‎how‏ ‎the‏ ‎technology ‎has‏ ‎evolved, ‎particularly‏ ‎criticizing ‎the ‎concept ‎and ‎implementation‏ ‎of‏ ‎Passkeys.

📌Passkeys‏ ‎as ‎a‏ ‎Platform ‎Lock-in‏ ‎Tool: ‎The‏ ‎article‏ ‎argues ‎that‏ ‎Passkeys, ‎rather ‎than ‎being ‎a‏ ‎solution ‎for‏ ‎secure‏ ‎and ‎user-friendly ‎authentication,‏ ‎have ‎become‏ ‎a ‎means ‎for ‎platforms‏ ‎to‏ ‎lock ‎users‏ ‎into ‎their‏ ‎ecosystems. ‎The ‎inability ‎to ‎extract‏ ‎or‏ ‎export ‎credentials‏ ‎is ‎highlighted‏ ‎as ‎a ‎significant ‎drawback, ‎leading‏ ‎to‏ ‎what‏ ‎the ‎author‏ ‎describes ‎as‏ ‎«long ‎term‏ ‎entrapment‏ ‎of ‎users.»

📌User‏ ‎Experience ‎Concerns: ‎The ‎author ‎shares‏ ‎their ‎partner’s‏ ‎negative‏ ‎experience ‎with ‎Passkeys,‏ ‎noting ‎her‏ ‎preference ‎to ‎return ‎to‏ ‎traditional‏ ‎passwords ‎for‏ ‎their ‎simplicity‏ ‎and ‎reliability. ‎This ‎sentiment ‎is‏ ‎echoed‏ ‎by ‎the‏ ‎author, ‎who‏ ‎reluctantly ‎admits ‎that ‎password ‎managers‏ ‎offer‏ ‎a‏ ‎better ‎user‏ ‎experience ‎than‏ ‎Passkeys.

📌Conclusion ‎and‏ ‎Reflection:‏ ‎The ‎author‏ ‎concludes ‎by ‎expressing ‎a ‎sense‏ ‎of ‎disillusionment‏ ‎with‏ ‎Passkeys, ‎suggesting ‎that‏ ‎the ‎initial‏ ‎promise ‎of ‎a ‎secure‏ ‎and‏ ‎user-friendly ‎authentication‏ ‎method ‎has‏ ‎been ‎compromised. ‎They ‎hint ‎at‏ ‎the‏ ‎irony ‎of‏ ‎releasing ‎a‏ ‎new ‎version ‎of ‎their ‎WebAuthn‏ ‎library‏ ‎for‏ ‎Rust ‎amidst‏ ‎these ‎reflections.