The study showed an increase in Russians' trust in biometrics

Biometric technologies are gradually becoming part of the daily digital life of Russians. With their help, users unlock smartphones, confirm banking transactions and pay for purchases. However, the complete abandonment of traditional passwords has not yet become a mass scenario. This is evidenced by the results of a study conducted by HONOR, which was reviewed by Izvestia on March 14.

According to the survey, the password remains the most popular way to protect data — 34.9% of users use it. At the same time, biometric methods have almost equaled it in popularity: 33.8% of Russians unlock their smartphone using a fingerprint, and 21.8% using facial recognition. Another 9.6% of respondents admitted that they do not install protection on their devices at all.

The study also showed gender differences in the use of technology. Women use facial recognition more often — 27.6% versus 15.8% among men, while fingerprint, on the contrary, is more popular among men (40.9% versus 26.9%). At the same time, the largest share of users without smartphone lock was recorded in Omsk and Krasnoyarsk.

Almost half of the respondents (47%) use biometrics daily, while another 11.9% use biometrics several times a week. The most active users were residents of Perm, where more than half of the respondents use biometric technologies on a daily basis. Among the age groups, young people under 25 are in the lead.

Unlocking a smartphone remains the most common scenario for using biometrics, as 64.3% of users do. More than half (51.4%) use it to log into applications, and 40.5% use it to confirm banking transactions. One in four respondents uses biometrics for online purchases, and about 21% use it to pay for goods in physical stores.

Technology is gradually penetrating the urban infrastructure. For example, 13.9% of Russians use biometrics to pay for transportation, and 13.3% use it to access their workplace. Biometric locks for homes are still a rarity — only 9.2% of the study participants installed them.

Among the main advantages of the technology, users cite time savings and convenience. About 26% of the respondents noted that biometrics allows faster access to the device than entering a password. Another 16.3% value it for increased privacy, while 15.4% use biometrics as an additional layer of protection along with the traditional code.

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In general, Russians demonstrate a high level of trust in technology. Almost 35% are fully confident in the reliability of biometric protection, and another 28.4% rather trust it. At the same time, 20.1% take a neutral position, while 16.8% are still distrustful of the technology.

One of the key factors in the growth of trust has been the introduction of biometrics by government and financial services. Almost half of the respondents said they began to trust the technology after it appeared in banking applications and on the Gosuslugi portal.

At the same time, some users still have concerns. The main ones are related to the security of personal data and the possibility of fraud. Some respondents also admit that they do not understand exactly where their biometric data is stored or have experienced technical failures of the recognition system.

Speaking about the future of technology, most Russians believe that biometrics and traditional protection methods will exist in parallel. Almost 40% of respondents believe that passwords will be saved as a backup, while 20.8% believe that they will remain for particularly important services.

At the same time, 27.9% of users are ready to fully switch to biometric authorization methods, while more than half have taken a wait-and-see attitude. Another 17.9% said they would prefer to abandon some digital services if biometrics became the only way to access them.

Analysts of the financial marketplace "I will choose.<url> reported on January 20 that the majority of Russians consider data storage security to be a key condition for providing biometrics to microfinance organizations. According to a study reviewed by Izvestia on January 20, 62% of respondents called the level of cybersecurity a crucial factor, and another part of respondents pointed out the importance of the possibility of data recall and the reputation of the lender.

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