this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2023
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So changing the user agent to chrome to fool websites that work shittier on non chromium stuff will ruin this metric?
No, what this means is sites might start adopting features like PassKeys - a major browser feature that works in every browser except FireFox and one where you just might not be able to access the service, at all, unless your browser has support.
(Passkeys are a replacement for passwords - essentially the idea is to take the technology commonly used for second factor authentication and use it as your "first factor" instead)
So... Chrome and Safari? Because the rest of browsers are just rebranded Chrome.
I'm not particularly a fan of passkeys, because I'm fairly happy with my password manager, but personal opinions apart, just because Google and Apple decided to implement a feature, that doesn't make it an standard.
This is why Chrome having the web engine monopoly is such a big problem. They can implement whatever they want and because it will also be adopted by Edge, Opera and others, it seems to automatically be considered a web standard and websites will start using it even when the other major independent browser (Firefox) hasn't implemented it.
Funny cause it works fine in my browser with a bitwarden plugin. I don't need and actually REALLY don't want my browser handling my passwords... or passkeys... or whatever the fuck authenticates me.
Isn’t that what password managers are for? People don’t store credentials in browsers, not sure why they’d start for passkeys when password managers are rolling out support.
Yes they do - every browser asks users if they want to remember the password they just entered. Many people say yes, I do too for most cases - it is very convinient.
Did you know that you can see those passwords in plain text in the browser settings?
Use a password manager
I believe you can set up a general password that you have to enter before you can see your other passwords in plain text. Unless I'm mistaken.
Either way, it's not the default
If they are visible in plain text without a master password, then it's not very relevant. I just tested this on my work laptop with a shared key I have stored in there and it didn't require any master password, nor was I prompted to set one up when I originally installed chrome three months back.
Oh I don't know about Chrome, I should have specified that I use Firefox
Trust issues aside, do you use the same browser for every task on every device? What do you use to generate your passwords?
Genuinely asking, this is wild to me. This would be like allowing location or desktop notifs from a website.
Edit: downvotes are weird. Fuck me for asking a question I guess? Would be more useful if y'all explained yourselves (and thanks to the one dude who apparently does use only one browser - cool that this works for you)
The browser will auto generate passwords for you. Along with cross device browser sync, you pretty much never see them
Personally for me, I use different browsers or at least different browser profiles for different uses - e.g. Work, personal, financial, etc.
I use KeePass for sensitive passwords, the browser's password manager is good for general stuff.
Most people I know who don't really care about tech don't do any of this and use whatever they're offered.
Thanks for explanation, TIL
God this reminds me that it took Firefox forever to support security keys natively. I hope PassKeys are implemented quickly in Firefox if they take off.
I'm using passkeys in Firefox everyday just fine.
I use 1password for passkeys on FF, works great.
I know your point is native, just want to point it out.
Maybe its because I'm on Nightly but PassKeys work natively for me on Windows 11 with Firefox already
No, what I mean is "metric" as in data about users per browser.
it wouldn't do anything if chrome was the next fallback that it was coded for anyway. worst case parts of the site don't render correctly.