My Thoughts Are My Password, Verify Me

from the better-security-through-thinking? dept

It seems that every few months a story pops up about advances in mind-controlled computer interfaces. It’s important research in many ways, especially for people who have been paralyzed. However, it’s clearly only at the earliest stages — and some question if it will ever get that much further. Wired News is looking at the possibility of one day being able to use your thoughts as your password for better security. The idea being that the computer would recognize your specific brainwaves, that couldn’t easily be copied by someone else. Some people believe this will never happen, as distinguishing on that fine a level of brainwaves might be impossible. However, even if it was possible, you have to wonder how effective it would be. It could work for normal logging in… but how does it work when you don’t want to log in, but someone else wants you to? Ever try to not think about a certain thing? Our brains aren’t really wired that way.


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Comments on “My Thoughts Are My Password, Verify Me”

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26 Comments
Ira Machefsky says:

This is just silly

This is just a silly idea. Biometric systems using explicit physical attributes, like plam prints, finger prints or voice prints, have a hard enough time working today. If you could recognize thought waves, you’d have long ago solved the traditional biometric authentication problem, which should be good enough even for government work.

Regards,

Ira

Anonymous Coward says:

only passwords?

Once we can read brainwaves and translate them into thoughts for passwords, can’t we *any* brainwaves and translate them into thoughts?

Mind readers… sounds far fetched when even current biometrics don’t work efectively.

I’m donning my tin foil hat anyhow, I don’t want the government to learn of my plans to take over the world.

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