In my column in Thursday's paper, I reviewed Dashlane, a very cool, free program that automatically enters your names, passwords, credit card information and other details on Web sites.
As usual when something terrific and free comes along, many readers' primary reaction was suspicion, sometimes verging on paranoia. When the topic is as touchy as privacy, well, multiply that by 10.
Here are some of the most frequently e-mailed concerns about Dashlane - and their answers:
You forgot to explain what we can do to recover our passwords when our laptop disk crashes, or the Dashlane program itself gets corrupted.
That's not a Dashlane question. That's a “Why don't you back up your computer?†question. If you don't back up, you should probably subscribe to the $20-a-year Dashlane Premium, which backs up your password stash online, automatically. Or, worst case, you could go to each Web site and click the “I forgot my password†link. The site sends you a temporary new password by e-mail.
What happens if someone steals my laptop? Now they have access to all my Web sites.
As noted in the column, you can't use Dashlane without entering the master password each day. So your password collection would be useless to a thief. But you can also remotely disable the stolen laptop's copy of Dashlane at Dashlane.com. Any access to your data from this device will then be denied.
My wife and I share a computer. We have separate user names for bank, credit card, airline and other accounts. How does Dashlane differentiate multiple user names for the same Web site?
As noted in the column, Dashlane can store multiple name/password combinations for each site. When you arrive at the log in page, Dashlane offers a simple list. Click the one you want.
How does Dashlane make money? You should have addressed this question.
As noted in the column, Dashlane charges $20 a year for the premium plan. (And by the way: I don't object to Dashlane charging. I would, however, prefer a one-time fee, like most software, to an annual fee forever.)
They don't have iPad app? I know I can use the iPhone app on iPad, but it's annoying.
Yes, the Dashlane iPad app should be out soon.
When I die, how will my wife or kids get to all my accounts, especially the financial ones?
You could share the master password with your wife and children. Worst case, again, your survivors could use the “I forgot my password†link on each Web site.
What happens if one uses more than one computer? For example, I have a PC at work and a couple of Macs at home.
If you sign up for Dashlane Premium ($20 a year), your password vault is synched across all your Macs, PCs, iPhones and Android phones. Alternatively, you could install the free copy on each machine, and just export your password collection from one computer to the other, using the steps on the Dashlane Web site.
I like LastPass! I like Roboform! I like 1Password! Don't make me feel threatened by liking Dashlane!
(I'm paraphrasing your questions here.) For various reasons, I think Dashlane is better (it's free; it works on your phone too; it requires fewer steps to use; it's much nicer looking). But you should use whichever program you prefer.
How can we be absolutely, 100 percent certain that Dashlane is itself 100 percent secure? They say they don't have access to our passwords, but couldn't they be lying?
There is no way to know 100 percent. There is also no way to be 100 percent sure that your phone company isn't listening in to your calls, that your credit company isn't laughing at your list of purchases, that your G.P.S. device isn't tracking your every move, that your house isn't bugged, that the government isn't slowly poisoning you, or that aliens aren't puppeteering you from distant planets.
You could take comfort in knowing that if a company really were accessing your secrets, and that behavior came to light, the company would be out of business instantly. You might also take comfort that no bank or credit card company will hold you responsible for purchases made by someone who stole your numbers. Otherwise, if this sort of thing plagues you, you have two choices: take a deep breath, have a modicum of faith and live life - or renounce technology and move to the Amish country.
