The Golden Triangle of Authentication: UX, Privacy, and Security

1 May 2025

The Golden Triangle of Authentication: UX, Privacy, and Security

1 May 2025

The balance for authentication has traditionally been between user experience (UX) and security. If you wanted stronger security, it often came at the cost of usability. And if you made things easier for users, you usually had to accept some added risk.

But that equation changed with the rise of biometric authentication.

Because biometric data is uniquely personal, it introduces a third dimension – privacy – into the mix. Now, identity systems need to strike the right balance between UX, security, and privacy.

This three-way challenge is what we call the Golden Triangle of Authentication.

UX and Security: The Original Trade-Off

Before biometrics, authentication was a constant tug of war between security and UX. Complex passwords are safer, but harder to remember. SMS OTPs add a layer of protection, but slow users down. And two-factor authentication improves security, but often frustrates users.

When security increases, UX suffers. When UX improves, security often weakens.

This is why so many systems today still rely on passwords – not because they’re good, but because they’re familiar.

The Privacy Challenge in Biometrics

Biometric authentication changed everything. It promises to solve both UX and security. It’s fast and seamless, with just look at the camera and it authenticates a real person – not just a device or code.

But it comes with a new risk: privacy.

Biometric data is considered sensitive under privacy laws like California’s CCPA, the EU’s GDPR, and others. If stolen, it can’t be reset. And third-party biometric systems – those that store facial templates on central servers – create a new type of threat.

Many organisations realised that while biometrics offered better UX and security, they introduced unacceptable privacy risks.

That’s why modern authentication now faces a triangle, not a line.

Why Decentralized Biometrics Change the Game

Decentralized biometric authentication was developed to bring balance to all three sides of the triangle.

Solutions like Keyless’ Zero-Knowledge Biometrics (ZKB) technology use advanced cryptography – specifically secure Multi-Party Computation – to match biometric data without storing or revealing it.

This means:

UX remains fast and intuitive – just a selfie.
Security is strong – with protection against deepfakes, spoofing, and injection attacks.
Privacy is preserved – no biometric templates stored or exposed, ever.

There’s no trade-off. All three priorities are met at once.

Two Other Factors: Cost and Integration

While the Golden Triangle focuses on UX, security, and privacy, two additional elements are just as important for decision-makers:

Cost: Password resets, OTPs, and call centre re-verification are expensive. Biometrics can reduce these overheads while improving the user experience.
Integration: Even the most advanced solution must be easy to deploy. SDKs, APIs, and flexible cloud or on-premise models are essential.

A truly modern solution balances all five: UX, security, privacy, cost-efficiency, and ease of integration.

What Comes Next

Authentication is evolving fast. With generative AI enabling new types of attacks – like deepfakes and injection threats – and privacy regulations getting stricter, authentication systems need to do more, faster.

Expect to see:

Biometric authentication across all channels – apps, browsers, kiosks, and shared devices.
Passive liveness and device verification as standard defences.
Decentralised biometrics as the default for privacy-first identity systems.

The future of authentication will depend on how well systems can manage UX, security, and privacy – all at once.