Websites should stop masking passwords as users type because it does not improve security and makes websites harder to use, according to two of the technology world’s leading thinkers. Usability expert Jakob Nielsen and security expert Bruce Schneier both think websites should stop blanking out passwords as users type them in. They say the practice inconveniences users with no security benefit at all. “It’s time to show most passwords in clear text as users type them,” said Nielsen in a post on his website. “Providing feedback and visualizing the system’s status have always been among the most basic usability principles. Showing undifferentiated bullets while users enter complex codes definitely fails to comply.”
