Many Brits support scrapping passwords for biometrics

57% of Brits would be happy to ditch all of their passwords and pins and replace them with biometric verification, according to research from Equifax.

Its survey of 2,000 people also highlighted widespread criticism of current verification practices, with half of responders having given up on an online registration process for a financial product through a range of frustrations.

Of those, 52% abandoned a registration attempt because they felt the process was too long, while 46% said it was too complicated. 38% said they gave up because they didn’t have all of the required documents and information to hand, with 21% stating they didn’t trust that the process was secure.

In terms of the idea of biometrics, speed (40%), security (27%) and confidence (21%) were top of feedback on its use. Negative feedback was generally much lower, such as the fear of using biometrics (13%) or that people feel self-conscious using it (13%).

Keith McGill, Head of ID & Fraud at Equifax, says: “It’s no surprise to see such frustrations towards the myriad of passwords, pin codes and security phrases. People are encouraged to always have unique information for each website or account they hold, meaning a list of codes and phrases that is unrealistic for many to remember given the volume of registration processes they are asked to undertake in modern society.”

“Lengthy, complicated and onerous registrations will soon be a thing of the past, with biometrics leading the way in the future of identity verification and modern financial relationships,” he concludes.