Is it you?

Every so often, Google prompts me with a screen: “Verify it’s you.”

So I smile. I attempt eye contact. I relay a story about something I recently learned. I offer a witty comment that turns into a minor faux pas. I draw a little diagram. I listen attentively.

None of this works; Google still doesn’t recognize me.

So I resort to entering my email and password, and — inevitably — that does the trick.

But we are far more than our usernames and passwords. More than our phone numbers and email addresses. More than our faces and fingerprints.

For those who know and love you — how do they know it’s you?