Yahoo introduces On-demand passwords and demoes end-to-end-encryption

 

The idea of forgetting the password for your email account might seem odd, but it happens. You might be one of those people who signed up for a Yahoo email address years ago, moved on to something better, and now only check in every few months to see if you've missed anything.
 
To combat the problem of forgotten passwords, Yahoo is introducing a new feature called On-demand passwords. There's no need to battle through the process of answering security questions to reset your password when you forget it; now you can create a temporary password that gets sent to your phone.
 
Chris Stoner, Director of Product Management, explains that the new feature eliminates the stress and anxiety that goes hand in hand with forgetting a password. It’s an option that’s only available in the US for the time being, but it's hard to imagine that it wouldn’t roll out to other parts of the world if it proved successful. In a blog post, Stoner wrote:

Today, we’re hoping to make that process less anxiety-inducing by introducing On-demand passwords, which are texted to your mobile phone when you need them. You no longer have to memorize a difficult password to sign in to your account -- what a relief!

In order to get the feature set up, you will have to remember your password at least once so you can log in and access your account settings. Head to the Account Security section of settings, activate the On-demand passwords feature, and confirm your phone number.
 
Yahoo also announced a preview of a new end-to-end encryption system. The feature will come to Yahoo Mail, and it is hoped that it will be implemented by the end of the year. The source code is available on GitHub and the video below was shown at SXSW by way of an introduction:
 
 
Photo credit: Brt / Shutterstock
 
~ Mark Wilson

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