Imagine if when you sat down at your computer it recognized you and unlocked all of your web accounts. No more logging in to anything. That’s the promise of this new app by Ford. Yes, the car company.
Like other companies Ford has been using NFC keys for a while. When you’re close to your car, it unlocks. So easy. Now the company has created Ford Keyfree, a Chrome extension which does essentially the same thing for your passwords. Your “key” is your smartphone. When you’re close to your car, your phone talks to the Chrome extension via Bluetooth and automatically enters all of your passwords. When you walk away, the extension logs you out. Brilliant.
Ford Keyfree is a slick, intelligent piece of work. It turns out Detroit CAN innovate. As you can see from the video above it’s obviously a marketing gimmick, and there are some practical security concerns. Isn’t it kind of weird that all someone needs to get into my sensitive accounts is my phone? What’s the proximity radius? Furthermore, since the app uses Bluetooth, it’ll put a strain on your battery.
The app is only available in France right now. Ford reportedly plans to bring its password manager to America soon. [Fast Company]
