We’re living in a digital world that seems to be losing its mind.
Every time I get logged out of an app without consent, I call it what it is: the Joe Biden Syndrome. The app just… forgets who I am. No explanation. No apology. Just poof, you’re a stranger now. Re-enter your credentials like a good little peasant.
Let me be clear: I use a password manager—on my laptop, where it belongs. I don’t trust mobile phones for serious security. Not because I’m paranoid, but because I’ve actually read privacy policies. My phone is for calling, texting, checking the weather, and maybe blasting a few Metallica tracks. It’s not my personal vault.
So when an app logs me out on my phone for no reason, it’s effectively locked down until I’m back at my computer. That’s by design. I’m not putting a full-access password manager on my pocket surveillance device. That’s like leaving your safe open because you think the burglar won’t check the bedroom.
And don’t get me started on third-party login buttons like “Sign in with Google” or “Login with Meta.” If I’m logging into something serious—banking, publishing, project management—I’m not letting a Big Tech middleman decide whether I’m in or out. One breach, one glitch, and you’re standing in digital limbo wondering why your account is gone.
The irony? Most of these apps love reminding me about their “commitment to your privacy.” Meanwhile, they forget my login after 30 minutes of inactivity like a dementia patient at a bus stop. I don’t want my security model to mirror someone who can’t find his way off a debate stage.
Want to impress me? Let users choose their timeout length. Let us opt out of auto-logout. And stop pretending like I’m the bad guy for expecting an app to remember who I am until I say otherwise.
Some of us still believe in long-term memory. Digital or otherwise.
