Comments on: We All Agree – CAPTCHA SUCKS http://www.itstheroi.com/punditry/we-all-agree-captcha-sucks/ San Francisco Search Engine Optimization Company Sun, 17 Jul 2011 06:27:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: N Brown http://www.itstheroi.com/punditry/we-all-agree-captcha-sucks/#comment-25048 N Brown Thu, 07 Apr 2011 04:51:44 +0000 http://www.itstheroi.com/?p=658#comment-25048 If you use Captcha then I will not be using your site anymore fed up witt wasting my time doing those stupid things 2 or 3 times. If you use Captcha then I will not be using your site anymore fed up witt wasting my time doing those stupid things 2 or 3 times.

]]> By: Jonah Stein http://www.itstheroi.com/punditry/we-all-agree-captcha-sucks/#comment-21835 Jonah Stein Fri, 04 Jun 2010 05:06:18 +0000 http://www.itstheroi.com/?p=658#comment-21835 While alternatives such as kitten captcha can work, they still put the burden for site security on the user. Pramana's approach returns security concerns to the site owner. While alternatives such as kitten captcha can work, they still put the burden for site security on the user. Pramana’s approach returns security concerns to the site owner.

]]> By: Sarah http://www.itstheroi.com/punditry/we-all-agree-captcha-sucks/#comment-21824 Sarah Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:24:46 +0000 http://www.itstheroi.com/?p=658#comment-21824 As you pointed out, most of the CAPTCHA tests seen on websites today have become a real pain for legitimate website visitors – but they don’t have to be that way. Overall, CAPTCHA verification tests are a good tool for stopping bots and curbing the spam, fraudulent registrations and malicious links that bots spread. We just need a new way of thinking about CAPTCHA – they don’t need to be an ugly, eye-straining mess of letters. The point of a CAPTCHA is to tell the difference between a human and a bot. One way to do that is to leverage a talent that comes easily to people but is difficult for computer programs to replicate. One such alternative is to use pictures as a CAPTCHA test. In general, the human brain has an easy time recognizing and interpreting images, even if the image only shows a portion of an object or shows that object in an environment that you’ve never seen before. A company that I recently started working for – Confident Technologies – has leveraged that knowledge to create a new type of CAPTCHA that is significantly easier on people but still stops bots. It simply presents the website visitor with a grid of randomly generated pictures and asks the visitor to identify and click on specific pictures (e.g. “Click on the cat, the car and the boat.”). It’s an easy task for people, but computer vision is not advanced enough to be able to intelligently identify the subject matter of the random images and click on the correct ones. You can see how it works here: http://demo.confidenttechnologies.com/captcha/. Bots can cause serious problems and solutions are needed to stop them. CAPTCHA can be a viable solution, especially when used in combination with other security measures. Websites simply need a different approach to CAPTCHA and use tests that can tell computers and humans apart in a way that is easy on people, not an eye strain. ~ Sarah, Confident Technologies As you pointed out, most of the CAPTCHA tests seen on websites today have become a real pain for legitimate website visitors – but they don’t have to be that way. Overall, CAPTCHA verification tests are a good tool for stopping bots and curbing the spam, fraudulent registrations and malicious links that bots spread. We just need a new way of thinking about CAPTCHA – they don’t need to be an ugly, eye-straining mess of letters. The point of a CAPTCHA is to tell the difference between a human and a bot. One way to do that is to leverage a talent that comes easily to people but is difficult for computer programs to replicate.

One such alternative is to use pictures as a CAPTCHA test. In general, the human brain has an easy time recognizing and interpreting images, even if the image only shows a portion of an object or shows that object in an environment that you’ve never seen before. A company that I recently started working for – Confident Technologies – has leveraged that knowledge to create a new type of CAPTCHA that is significantly easier on people but still stops bots. It simply presents the website visitor with a grid of randomly generated pictures and asks the visitor to identify and click on specific pictures (e.g. “Click on the cat, the car and the boat.”). It’s an easy task for people, but computer vision is not advanced enough to be able to intelligently identify the subject matter of the random images and click on the correct ones. You can see how it works here: http://demo.confidenttechnologies.com/captcha/.

Bots can cause serious problems and solutions are needed to stop them. CAPTCHA can be a viable solution, especially when used in combination with other security measures. Websites simply need a different approach to CAPTCHA and use tests that can tell computers and humans apart in a way that is easy on people, not an eye strain.

~ Sarah, Confident Technologies

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