Yahoo last week unveiled a novel concept: Access to your Yahoo Mail account without a password.

What is a password, anyway?

If you think about it, a password is a way to authenticate a person. You create a chunk of random knowledge that only you know. Later, to prove you’re you, you demonstrate mastery of that knowledge. Only you would know to type “corndog658” when prompted, so obviously you’re authorized for access.

It’s a great way to authenticate, at least until someone steals or guesses your password.

Yahoo’s system, which it calls Account Key, works like this: Install the Account Key mobile app (the system works only with the smartphone app), log in with your username and password. Tap the profile icon and choose Settings. Tap Account Key and enable it. (This is the moment at which password authentication becomes phone device authentication.)

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