Are password strength meters useful?

What are your thoughts on password meters?

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I think they are only somewhat helpful because there is no clear indication as to how to actually strengthen the password. A novice user could maybe type in more characters in there, but it can still be considered "weak."

  1. Do you think it will work better if combined with "password criteria" on how to strengthen it?

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  1. If we were to display the "password criteria", is the progress indicator still necessary at that point? Or is that just a way of visually communicating to the user the strength of their password to hopefully motivate them to create stronger ones?