I'm quite confused about all the suspicion about passkeys. I just add a passkey to my password manager whenever the service offers it. I don't understand the "lock-in" concern because I can just import + export my passwords between managers
this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2026
132 points (75.0% liked)
Privacy
51480 readers
275 users here now
A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.
Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.
In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.
Some Rules
- Posting a link to a website containing tracking isn't great, if contents of the website are behind a paywall maybe copy them into the post
- Don't promote proprietary software
- Try to keep things on topic
- If you have a question, please try searching for previous discussions, maybe it has already been answered
- Reposts are fine, but should have at least a couple of weeks in between so that the post can reach a new audience
- Be nice :)
Related communities
much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)
founded 7 years ago
MODERATORS
Passkeys have inherent advantages over passwords. They are more secure.
- Public-private cryptography vs shared secret
- They can be stored in an authenticator that can never leak your private key.
- You can have many passkeys for the same account and they are all unique and can be revoked individually.
- Can be put in a password manager. (less secure, but still better than password. see point 1)
The standard requiring the authenticator to report attestation if asked, opens up for abuse though.
Even if the standard allows them asking for attestation; the nice thing is that they can't force the passkey in to protected storage, as long as there is a browser like firefox in between you and them. (don't use non free apps) So store all your passkeys how you wish and the day they start asking you to replace those passkeys with their better storage options, you just don't. If they lock you out of your account, then stop using their service. Don't use shitty services when they abuse you.
They are turning off passwords before they start asking for attested authenticators anyway. So might as well enjoy the convenience of passkeys while they are working like you want them to.
they can’t force the passkey in to protected storage, as long as there is a browser like firefox in between you and them.
You also need to not use Windows Hello, or Apple Touch ID / Face ID (which actually is the default in Windows & Apple, even if you are using Firefox). Otherwise the browser will relay the request through them and provide the attestation.
The problem is when the mainstream people do use those methods because it's the default, they don't know, or it's simply more convenient since it's bundled in their proprietary OS that they (stupidly) trust.
If having your own non-attested custom method of providing your passkeys becomes something niche amongst the users of passkeys, then I would not be surprised if many places flip the switch and start requiring attested methods.
Of course one can always switch to more consumer-friendly alternatives even if they are more niche, but as long as they remain niche it won't stop the big services from pushing for anti-consumer practices.
I get the anti-phishing notion, but they are buggy pieces of shit so you can't use them even if you wanted to
load more comments
(2 replies)
But they are annoying. Like it's fine if you only use one device, but I don't fucking know where my phone is, that's why I am on my laptop
load more comments
(1 replies)
I've had trouble with them with my gear.
I intend to continue with keepassxc wherever possible until compatibility is built out.
Reads like Ricky Mondello stopped explaining half-way through why the other essay’s “theory of the case being fundamentally wrong.”