Google is trying to compete with Yahoo in the acquisition spree and after a stellar purchase of Nest, a hardware company that produces smart home products, Google has now acquired a software startup – SlickLogin, whose chief area of expertise is a sound based login. Just six months after they showcased their product at TechCrunch Disrupt, Google acquired them.
The news is confirmed as the company has stated that they will be joining Google and “make the Internet safer for everyone”. TechCrunch were also able to confirm the same with Google. A number about the purchase amount is still under wraps .
SlickLogin allows the user to login to a website via sound. This works as follows
- a website would play a uniquely generated, nearly-silent sound through your computer’s speakers.
- a smartphone application on your phone would pick up the sound, analyze it, and confirm back to the server saying that you are indeed the person you claim to be or have the phone of the respective person.
SlickLogin aspires to serve as a replacement for one of the things that hasn’t changed much since the inception of the Internet – passwords. It could also be a secondary validation process until things are finalized, but this is merely my opinion. Google already has a secure Two-factor authorization and with this acquisition Google will try to strength their security.