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Biometrics are best when protecting yourself online

To mark Data Privacy Day on January 28, Microsoft wanted everyone to put down their passwords and use their face and fingerprints to log in to their device.


Data Privacy Day is an international moment held every year that aims to empower individuals to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust.

It began in 2007 and is now observed in 50 countries across the world, where organisations focus on raising awareness about the importance of protecting the privacy of personal information online.

The day is also an opportunity to…

  1. Promote the development of technology that supports people having control over personally identifiable information

  2. Encourage compliance with privacy laws and regulations

  3. Create conversations among parties interested in advancing data protection and privacy.


You can get involved at home, at work and in your community. Create a culture of privacy at work by teaching all employees what privacy means at your company and how they can keep your business safe online.

Talk to family and friends about protecting personal information or share your knowledge in local organisations and group. Spread the word that security matters.

Woman using a Surface device at home

Why you need to think about online security

It is estimated that the cost of cybercrime to the global economy will reach $8 trillion by 2022.

More than half of the most disruptive frauds in the UK last year resulted in losses of over £70,000, while around 24% saw the victims lose more than £700,000. Fraud also has a wider impact, too, as the proceeds often end up in the hands of organised criminals, funding a range of illegal activities from terrorism to human trafficking.

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No such thing as a perfect password

People need to pay as much attention to their digital security as they do for their personal security.

Top five most-used passwords:

1) 123456

2) 123456789

3) qwerty

4) password

5) 1111111

Gone Phishing

Phishing scams: Attempt to lure you into revealing personal details by appearing to be from a legitimate company. Clicking on a link in the correspondence will direct to an unsecure website. Criminals can then gain access to your computer or request further personal details.

Malware: Includes viruses, Trojans and spyware and can damage devices and steal data. Victims download these onto their computers after being duped into believing they contain something else.

Ipsos Mori poll

Ways to better secure your Windows PC

The benefits of biometrics

  1. It helps to strengthen your protections against credential theft. Because an attacker must have both the device and the biometric info or PIN, it’s much more difficult to gain access without your knowledge

  2. You have a simple authentication method (backed up with a PIN) that’s always with you, so there’s nothing to lose. No more forgetting passwords

  3. Support for Windows Hello is built into the operating system. If you’re a business, you can add additional biometric devices and polices as part of a coordinated rollout or to individual employees or groups using Group Policy or Mobile Device Management (MDM) configurations service provider (CSP) policies. For more info about the available Group Policies and MDM CSPs, see the Implement Windows Hello for Business in your organisation topic.


Microsoft is working with cutting-edge companies to help businesses stay secure

Trusona is a security firm that was founded by Ori Eisen, who has been fighting online crime his entire career – either in anti-fraud roles at global firms or at one of the security businesses he has set up.



Frank Abagnale, an advisor to Trusona, was one of the world’s most wanted conmen 50 years ago. His story provided the inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s 2002 film Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Abagnale and Tom Hanks as the FBI agent trying to stop him. After turning his back on crime, Abagnale has spent the past 40 years helping the FBI tackle crime.

Learn more about Trusona

Ori Eisen and Frank Abagnale from Trusona

We need to get rid of passwords because it’s a technology from 1964. How can we still be using them? It’s absurd

– Frank Abagnale, security expert

The cost of staying safe

Microsoft invests more than $1 billion in security every year. Every month the company analyses 470 billion emails for malware and suspicious websites – blocking more than five billion malicious and suspicious emails in 2018 alone – and updates 1.2 billion Windows devices.

Read a feature about how Microsoft is helping to protect you

Protecting our online environment is in everyone’s interest

– Brad Smith, Microsoft President

Get Started with Microsoft Security