On #BigIdeas2021

Hitoshi Kokumai
2 min readDec 24, 2020

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Among the #BigIdeas2021 should be a truly valid solution to the ubiquitous and generations-long password predicament.

Humans have not evolved to be capable of remembering many of hard-to-remember text-only passwords, as yet again demonstrated in this report — “After police raid onCOVID-19 whistleblower, it’s revealed password was publicly posted on Florida Department of Health’s website” https://grahamcluley.com/covid-19-florida-password/

On the other hand, sharing the same visual sensation with other animals over hundreds of millions of years, humans are very good at recognising visual objects such as images, especially when the images are emotionally linked to our own episodic memory.

By the way, logic tells that authentication products that have to rely on a default/fallback text-password can never solve this password predicament but can only spread a false sense of security.

Distractive false ideas need to get debunked for a truly big idea to get recognised all over the world, as discussed below.

What we would like to see debunked in 2021 are these two globally-spread false observations -

1. Better security can be achieved by removing the ‘indispensable’ password from digital identity

2. The password can be displaced by ‘password-dependent’ biometrics.

How to debunk these unfounded views is outlined below.

- “Bizarre Theory of Password-less Authentication”

- “Why are we so persistent in the efforts to bust thefalsehood of biometrics?”

When these misperceptions have evaporated, we will see “Identity Assurance by Our Own Volition and Memory” pervading the world.

- “Image-to-CodeConversion by Expanded Password System”

< References >

External Body Features Viewed as ‘What We Are’

History, Current Status and Future Scenarios of Expanded Password System

Negative Security Effect of Biometrics Deployed in Cyberspace

Availability-First Approach

Questions and Answers — Expanded Password System and Related Issues

< Videos on YouTube>

Demo: Simplified Operation on Smartphone for consumers (1m41s)

Demo: High-Security Operation on PC for managers (4m28s)

Demo: Simple capture and registration of pictures by users (1m26s)

Slide: Biometrics in Cyber Space — “below-one” factor authentication

< Latest Media Articles Published in 2020 Spring>

Digital Identity — Anything Used Correctly Is Useful https://www.valuewalk.com/2020/05/digital-identity-biometrics-use/

‘Easy-to-Remember’ is one thing ‘Hard-to-Forget’ is another https://www.paymentsjournal.com/easy-to-remember-is-one-thing-hard-to-forget-is-another/

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Hitoshi Kokumai

Advocate of ‘Identity Assurance by Our Own Volition and Memory’, Inventor of Expanded Password System and Founder of Mnemonic Identity Solutions Limited in UK.