Failure mode and effects analysis nursing

Shouldn’t the next step be letting us log into our Web accounts? Iris5 scanning is another biometric technology, fast enough to work well at automated border-crossing systems and secure enough for national ID programs such as India’s (it’s enrolling 1.2 billion people).

At the moment, iris scanners are far too new and expensive to build into every phone and laptop—but almost every technology gets cheaper over time. Some scanners can be fooled by a photograph of your eye, but this problem, too, can be overcome (by tracking your

pupil as you read something, for example). Bottom line: there’s no insurmountable6 problem in iris reading’s future.

Same with voice authentication, using the unique pitch, accent and frequencies of your speaking voice as your key. It’s cheap enough for wide adoption—our phones and gadgets already have microphones. Worried about bad guys faking out the system with a recording of your voice? That can’t happen if the phrase you’re asked to speak changes every time you log in.

The only roadblocks here are background noise and laryngitis.7 And as with any biometric security solution, this approach really requires a backup system—like a password —just in case.

Then there’s Windows Hello, a new feature of Windows 10 that lets you log in with

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fingerprint, iris, or facial recognition—whatever your laptop is equipped to handle. The face option is especially exciting. You just sit down at the computer, and it unlocks instantly. You can’t fool it with a photograph or even a 3-D model of your head, because the Intel RealSense camera it requires includes infrared and 3-D sensors.

Of course, very few gadgets come with that camera preinstalled. But the RealSense

concept is truly the Holy Grail:8 secure and convenient. If the hardware ever became as

ubiquitous9 and cheap as, say, our phones’ fingerprint readers, we could have a winner.

Clearly, the password concept is broken. Equally clearly, these new technologies can provide both the security and the convenience the world demands. Nothing’s quite there yet, and we need to keep our eye on privacy concerns (who owns the databases of biometric scans, for example?).

But one thing is for sure: this is one pain point that’s got everyone’s attention.

Thinking Critically about This Reading

Pogue argues that “It’s time to kill the password” (paragraph 5). Do you agree that passwords have become a problem that needs to be solved? What are the possible benefits of eliminating the need for passwords? What are the possible negative consequences of some of the alternatives that he suggests? (Glossary: Cause and Effect) Explain.

Questions for Study and Discussion

1. Is Pogue’s thesis about a topic of importance and controversy? Why or why not? What question is Pogue trying to answer in his thesis?

2. What is the problem with passwords, as Pogue sees it? Do you share his concerns? Why or why not?

3. When Pogue presents the two-factor authentication (7), he states that the “masses will never go for it.” Why is that? Do you agree?

4. What does Pogue mean by “biometric approaches” (8)? Examine each of the approaches that Pogue suggests and argue whether or not you see each one as a realistic alternative to replace passwords.

5. At the end of his essay, Pogue does raise the issue of privacy and information ownership. What are some of those concerns? How might they be resolved?

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Classroom Activity Using Thesis

A strong thesis makes a claim rather than stating something obvious about the topic. One way to check whether your thesis makes a claim is to try stating its opposite as an alternative. If this new thesis seems absurd or wrong, your original thesis might benefit from greater specificity.

Imagine that you were going to write a response to Pogue’s argument about passwords. Which of the following could be a thesis statement for a substantial counterargument? If you’re not sure, test each one by stating its opposite. Note: Often a good thesis cannot be easily reversed because it does not frame the issues in black and white.

1. The password system for Internet security needs to be replaced immediately.

2. Costs for hardware and software that provide the most up-to-date Internet security should be subsidized by the federal government so that all Americans can afford to be secure online.

3. Hardware and software manufacturers are working hard to improve Internet security.

4. People should be smarter about creating complex passwords that cannot be guessed by Internet hackers and identity thieves.

5. Pogue is far too optimistic about the ability to lower costs for high-end computer security devices.

6. Trying to improve security is pointless because with every new advance, thieves will create new ways around them.

Now that you’ve eliminated some, how many potential theses are left? When writers like Pogue address complex issues, thoughtful readers can respond with an array of ideas, concerns, or questions. Look at the remaining thesis statements and discuss how each one takes a different approach to the problem.

Suggested Writing Assignments

1. Write an essay in which you respond to Pogue’s concern about the use of passwords on the Internet today. Formulate a thesis sentence in which you argue whether or not his concerns are justified. Consider whether his proposed improvements are realistic. Can you envision a time when the use of passwords will disappear completely? If so, what changes would have to occur for that to become a reality? If not, why not?