Using your email address as a username and entering a password is a pretty common way to log into a variety of services used on the internet. But is it safe? Well if you choose a strong password, chances of it being guessed are lower, but what’s the point if hackers can gain access to your password anyway?
Well Twitter is hoping to change that by introducing a new way of logging in which uses your phone number. Dubbed Digits, this is Twitter’s new service that they will be rolling out to developers. It will be separate from Twitter itself meaning that it is a standalone product. The goal of Digits is to use your phone number as your login ID.
From there a single-use code will be sent to your phone which will act as a password, meaning that everytime you log in, a new code will be generated thus preventing hackers from guessing your password. It also serves as a way for users in developing countries who don’t have an email to sign up and log into services.
In some ways it is similar to two-step authentication like when you make an online purchase with your credit card, and where your bank will send a code to your registered mobile phone to make sure that it is you who is making the purchase. It’s an interesting way of protecting users online, but will it take off? We guess we’ll just have to wait and see, but in the meantime what do you guys think of Twitter’s efforts?
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