Demand for fee to use password app LastPass sparks backlash [telecom]

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Pay up or face restrictions on access, say new private-equity owners.

By Mark Vandevelde

A popular app that promised to eliminate the burden of remembering passwords has sparked a backlash by demanding, weeks after it was acquired by two private equity firms, that users pay up or face restrictions on access to their online accounts.

LastPass has encouraged millions of people to replace weak passwords on retail websites, Internet banks and other online services. Instead, the software handles authentication automatically using long, complex passwords that are impossible to guess - or remember.