RE: COGA action requested: please review draft response to Accessible Authentication show password issue

-1

I would support adding this as best practice within the understanding document but I would not support adding show password as a requirement on all password fields. It should be included a an example of a mechanism to support users (as there are many approaches that can be used) along with other techniques.

There are technical, security and regulatory requirements that can inhibit show password being implemented. They are also difficult to make accessible<https://incl.ca/show-hide-password-accessibility-and-password-hints-tutorial/>. This will lead to the success criteria being ignored by organisations. It is already proving difficult to get large organisations to accept the success criteria.

Abi

From: Rain Michaels <rainb@google.com>
Sent: 01 July 2021 20:57
To: public-cognitive-a11y-tf <public-cognitive-a11y-tf@w3.org>
Subject: COGA action requested: please review draft response to Accessible Authentication show password issue

CAUTION: This e-mail originated outside the University of Southampton.
Hello COGA task force,

We discussed a new response from COGA to SC 3.3.7 Accessible Authentication - add requirement / control to "show password" for end-users #1912<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fw3c%2Fwcag%2Fissues%2F1912&data=04%7C01%7Ca.james%40soton.ac.uk%7C0746bffaabf042fddaf008d93cca84de%7C4a5378f929f44d3ebe89669d03ada9d8%7C0%7C0%7C637607662773918794%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=FaikkwYaWYei0xRxNYRFTL2vPTvlF3OTniZ%2BGFVkVhA%3D&reserved=0>. Since the discussion was going long, we decided that I would try to draft a response and share it with the group for comment.

The new draft response is ready for your comments below. You can also review and suggest edits or make comments on the Google Doc version<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fdocument%2Fd%2F1SmAbdQG-ei1DrWewx61YX93gGsHUo_VM15-FDLlnP9M%2Fedit%23heading%3Dh.o49dk19joyzp&data=04%7C01%7Ca.james%40soton.ac.uk%7C0746bffaabf042fddaf008d93cca84de%7C4a5378f929f44d3ebe89669d03ada9d8%7C0%7C0%7C637607662773928786%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=%2BzY2pdGrBRepeZ7QB5yHIBCP73zly6qlxZlyyVGrI1E%3D&reserved=0> if that is easier.

Thank you,

Rain



For context, our response to the original issue<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fw3c%2Fwcag%2Fissues%2F1912%23issue-923218389&data=04%7C01%7Ca.james%40soton.ac.uk%7C0746bffaabf042fddaf008d93cca84de%7C4a5378f929f44d3ebe89669d03ada9d8%7C0%7C0%7C637607662773928786%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=upl82U8qwmHEs2obPNqnnEBTXMD9mQ9D4fb%2B4LBMTj8%3D&reserved=0>:

As COGA, we recommend that there should be a feature that is a toggle that says "show password/hide password" that enables the user to see their password as they enter it. At the same time, this is something that should be in the understanding document. This is technically not a cognitive function test, which is what the SC is about.

Summary of responses since ours:

  *
  *
  *   Alastair and Jake still felt it should be a new requirement
  *
  *
  *
  *   Patrick felt that it would be okay to add it to the understanding document as long as it was clear
  *   it was a best practice or suggestion and not required to pass the success criterion
  *
  *
  *
  *   Alastair proposed adding this text to the understanding document:
  *   "Another factor that can improve the chances of success for people
  *   with cognitive disabilities is being able to see the password as it is typed. Password visibility is not a requirement of this criterion, but a good way of reducing the cognitive load, so including a feature to optionally show the password is very helpful."
  *
  *
  *
  *   On our COGA TF call,
  *   we had concerns about the use of the word "helpful," how this relates to "transcription" as a cognitive function test, and whether this was going in the wrong direction.
  *

Proposed new response following our COGA TF meeting:

This is a combined response from the COGA Task Force: After reading the responses since our last comment (posted on June 24), we feel more strongly now that this should be a requirement, but we also feel that it is not a new requirement, and should, instead, be part of this one.

We have come to this conclusion after re-reading the functional definition of a cognitive function test<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2FTR%2FWCAG22%2F%23dfn-cognitive-function-test&data=04%7C01%7Ca.james%40soton.ac.uk%7C0746bffaabf042fddaf008d93cca84de%7C4a5378f929f44d3ebe89669d03ada9d8%7C0%7C0%7C637607662773938786%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=waYvOWyYaLqmUsrWDxQLndZEsqAydAwsryxKzqlYyWM%3D&reserved=0>, which clearly includes transcribing characters.

SC 3.3.7 Accessible Authentication<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2FTR%2FWCAG22%2F%23accessible-authentication&data=04%7C01%7Ca.james%40soton.ac.uk%7C0746bffaabf042fddaf008d93cca84de%7C4a5378f929f44d3ebe89669d03ada9d8%7C0%7C0%7C637607662773938786%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=%2Fgha%2B5OenJq%2FEBVTBNXsdJY2EnFbHVW4yJmG%2BMBiyt4%3D&reserved=0> reads "For each step in an authentication process that relies on a cognitive function test, at least one other authentication method is available that does not rely on a cognitive function test, or a mechanism is available to assist the user in completing the cognitive function test."

The challenge is that for some individuals with cognitive disabilities, password visibility may be essential. To frame it from a user perspective: I need to see the password as I type it, and I need to see the password after I type it with time to review.

We (the COGA task force) realize that this is a challenging request and has a lot of implications. Please advise on next steps so that we can help bring this to resolution.


What you, COGA task force member, need to do:

Please either +1 or -1 this proposed new response. If -1, please indicate why and what you would like us to do instead. If possible, please respond before July 3 so that we can post our response before many are gone for the holidays.

Thank you,

Rain