Google is creating a way to log into a device with just the tap of a token and no password according to The Wall Street Journal.
The news is the latest development for the company since competitor, Apple, presented a fingerprint login option for its iOS system last week.
"The biometric features of your body, like your fingerprints, cannot be erased or deleted. They stay with you until the end of your life and stay constant - they cannot be changed," Johannes Caspar, a German data protection expert told The Journal. "One should thus avoid using biometric ID technologies for non-vital or casual everyday uses like turning on a smartphone. This is especially true if a biometric ID, like your fingerprint, is stored in a data file on the electronic device you are using."
The system has been the subject of controversy in regards to personal data collection. In response, Google announced its token system does not store a user's information, The Journal reported.
Data obtained from fingerprints is only stored on devices, and not transmitted over any networks according to Caspar, The Journal reported. Caspar said an average person using a smartphone will not be able to tell whether personal data is stored on a device, how to access and control it, or how to make certain a fake application doesn't gain access to it.
According to The Journal, Google is currently testing its new token system, which when touched to a device or attached to a USB key can allow access to it. The tokens create temporary passwords giving users access to their devices such as smartphones. The new digs are strong encrypted with security and are easy to use.
