B00B Factor Authentication in Banjara Embroidery

Can folk embroidery help establish digital consent?

B00b-factor Authentication (suggested pronounciation ‘bee-zero-zero-bee’ or ‘bewb’) is a project about intimacy and trust.Inspired by an heritage craft called Banjara Embroidery︎︎︎, this project showcases a bra with NFC tags embroidered around the nipple areas. Two tags, one for each b00b, permit two-factor authentication. The right tag leads to a password-protected website, and the left reveals the password to it. If a person wishes to unlock the website, they need to first establish consent with the bra’s wearer. In getting close to wearer’s body, the b00b-factor authentication bra materialises the discomfort of seeking intimacy and trust with remote others you barely know.

The project has been published in ACM Interactions magazine, and it has been covered in German media and written about by other researchers.

See a quick demo of how it works.