WSJ Tech News Briefing — "Behind the Passwords Alternative: Passkeys"

Date: September 2, 2025
Host: Julie Chang (WSJ)
Guests: Annemarie Alcantara (WSJ reporter), Sean Captain (WSJ contributor), Liz Young (WSJ)

Episode Overview

In this episode, WSJ Tech News Briefing explores rising challenges and technological responses in online user verification. It begins with a look at how tech companies are contending with new age verification mandates, focusing on their difficulties and techniques. The conversation then shifts to "passkeys," a new technology positioned as a more secure, user-friendly alternative to traditional passwords. Experts unpack how passkeys work, why they're gaining traction, and what hurdles still exist.

1. Navigating Age Verification Mandates

(00:19–04:42)

The Policy Landscape

• Range of Laws: Laws differ by region; in the US, some states require parental permission for minors to download apps or make purchases, while others demand social media platforms verify user ages directly.
  • Quote:

    "In the US in particular, some states have passed it where you need parental permission before a child can download apps or make in app purchases. And in other states, like Mississippi, want social media companies to verify the user age."
    (Annemarie Alcantara, 01:22)

Technological Approaches

• Video Selfies:

  • Pros: Relies on user’s camera for identity and age verification.
  • Cons: Hardware disparities (e.g., older phones, poor cameras, lighting) reduce effectiveness; vulnerability to AI-powered deepfakes.
  • Quote:

    "These tools that verify someone's age usually need someone to be in a brightly lit room...deep fakes...are just getting really good at faking a real human."
    (Annemarie Alcantara, 02:08)

• Artificial Intelligence:

  • Function: Examines behavioral signals (e.g., search and watch history) to infer age.
  • Challenges: Shared family accounts confuse AI; difficult to distinguish children from adults.
  • Quote:

    "Not every family has separate accounts for their children...it's hard for the signals to say, like, oh, well, this is a kid, perhaps, versus an adult."
    (Annemarie Alcantara, 03:01)

Why Getting It Right is So Hard

• Shifting Definitions: Different age brackets in different regulations complicate compliance.
• Imperfection of Tech: False positives and negatives frustrate legitimate users.
• Privacy Concerns: Balancing effectiveness and minimal data retention, especially of minors’ government IDs.
• Quote:

  "Basically, a lot of these companies are trying to figure out your age...but they also want to make sure they don't retain that data."
  (Annemarie Alcantara, 04:18)

2. Understanding Passkeys: The Password Alternative

(05:23–10:23)

What Are Passkeys?

• Definition: An encryption-based login method, removing the need for traditional usernames and passwords.

• Security: More secure than passwords; eliminates the risk of credential theft—"there is no password."

• User Experience: Users authorize logins with biometrics (face scan, fingerprint) or passcode.

  • Quote:

    "It's a kind of encryption technology...it's able to verify that you are who you are without there having to be something that everyone knows, which is this password."
    (Sean Captain, 05:53 & 06:19)

How to Use Passkeys

• Adoption at Big Sites: Major platforms (e.g., Google) prompt users to set up passkeys during login.
• Finding Supported Sites: Not all websites advertise passkey support; listings available via third-party registries (Fido Alliance, 1Password, Dashlane); no master list exists.
• Quote:

  "The easiest way is just to wait until they pop up in front of your nose...other sites offer it but don't advertise it well, and in that case you're digging through settings for quite some time."
  (Sean Captain, 07:04)

Drawbacks and Challenges

• Complexity of Management: It's easy to set up a passkey accidentally and then lose track of its existence; managing across multiple devices and operating systems can be tricky.
• Ecosystem Limitations:
  • Apple syncs passkeys seamlessly within its devices but not beyond.
  • For cross-platform usage, third-party managers like 1Password, Dashlane, and Bitwarden fill the gap.
• Quote:

  "If all you own and all you will ever own is made by Apple, it's really easy...Once you stray out of that environment...you're looking at a lot of complexity."
  (Sean Captain, 08:04)

Will Passkeys Replace Passwords Soon?

• Slow Adoption: Mandates are unlikely soon. Even two-factor authentication took years to proliferate.
• Quote:

  "We're a long way from requiring...Just think about how long it took just to get people to do two-factor authentication."
  (Sean Captain, 09:08)

What’s Next for Passkeys?

• Growing Support: Currently about 400 global sites, with only around 30 top US sites; banks and financial institutions are especially slow to adopt.
• Upcoming Improvements:
  • New standards coming for password managers to easily import/export passkeys, improving cross-platform convenience.
  • Apple to introduce export features in new macOS/iOS releases in September.
• Quote:

  "There's going to be a standard that allows password manager apps to import and export passkeys...Apple's going to bring that capability out in September."
  (Sean Captain, 09:29)

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Verification Challenges:

  "The technology, even though it's really good, is not 100% accurate...the technology itself isn't quite there yet."
  (Annemarie Alcantara, 03:36)

• On Passkey Ecosystem Fragmentation:

  "Apple's system will not go across all devices...Google's Password Manager and then some...third party apps...can be installed across all different devices."
  (Sean Captain, 08:46)

4. Key Takeaways and Segment Timestamps

• Age Verification Mandates & Technology: States and countries diverge in legal requirements; tech companies juggle privacy, accuracy, and implementation headaches. (00:19–04:42)
• Introduction to Passkeys: How passkeys work, why they’re secure, and how users can (and should) get started. (05:23–07:58)
• Downsides of Passkeys and What’s Next: Fragmented adoption, device dependance, and how new standards may soon unlock broader use. (07:58–10:23)

Conclusion

This episode illuminates the multifaceted obstacles of online identity—first for children’s safety, then for general user security. Listeners gain a practical understanding of age verification complexities and a forward-looking perspective on how passkeys could phase out passwords, one site and one device ecosystem at a time.