Google eliminates annoying Captchas with a checkbox to verify you aren't a robot

[Shawn Knight]

Most of us are familiar with Captchas, those often illegible bits of text and numbers used to distinguish humans from bots when registering for a new service or attempting to gain access to a restricted area.

Google acquired reCaptcha in 2009 and has been using it for the past several years in an attempt to keep bots and spam at bay. Now, the search giant is rolling out a new version of reCaptcha that radically simplifies the process.

Instead of having to type a pair of words or numbers in to verify your human identity, reCaptcha will now simply ask you to tick a checkbox proclaiming you aren’t a robot. It doesn’t get much easier than that but why the change?

Modern artificial intelligence technology can solve even the most difficult distorted text at 99.8 percent accuracy which means the common Captcha is no longer a valid way to keep the bots out. No Captcha reCaptcha, as Google is calling it, sounds incredibly basic at first glance but the technology that powers it is quite sophisticated.

Last year, Google developed an advanced risk analysis backend for reCaptcha which looks at a user’s entire engagement with a Captcha before, during and after to determine if they are human. Specifically, Google will take into account a variety of factors to determine authenticity including what site the visitor came from, how steady the mouse cursor movement was and how long it moved, among others.

No Captcha reCaptcha is already live on a few sites including Snapchat, Humble Bundle and WordPress.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/59058-google-eliminates-annoying-captchas-checkbox-verify-you-arent.html

 

[TomSEA]

A nice step forward. Provides security against bots and you don't have to look cross-eyed at the screen to figure out what the hell they want you to input.

 

[psycros]

A nice step forward. Provides security against bots and you don't have to look cross-eyed at the screen to figure out what the hell they want you to input.

Yeah, its always struck me as ridiculous that a typical CAPTCHA can only be read BY a machine.

 

[Trillionsin]

A nice step forward. Provides security against bots and you don't have to look cross-eyed at the screen to figure out what the hell they want you to input.

Yeah, its always struck me as ridiculous that a typical CAPTCHA can only be read BY a machine.

lol wut

 

[treeski]

Hope it works for tabbing through the input boxes

 

[cliffordcooley]

If a machine can insert the correct text in a box, I'm sure a check-box will be much easier. But thanks for not moving forward and requiring our DNA and Iris scans.

Specifically, Google will take into account a variety of factors to determine authenticity including what site the visitor came from, how steady the mouse cursor movement was and how long it moved, among others.

Then why must we be required to check the box? I mean if Google is spying on us, they already know we are not a robot. Checking a box is overkill.

 

[lipe123]

Whats wrong with the other chapta solutions like the ones that ask you to build a 4 piece jigsaw puzzle.

It takes 2-3 seconds to do and its easy and makes sense for anyone.

 

[Forg0t2]

If a machine can insert the correct text in a box, I'm sure a check-box will be much easier. But thanks for not moving forward and requiring our DNA and Iris scans.

Specifically, Google will take into account a variety of factors to determine authenticity including what site the visitor came from, how steady the mouse cursor movement was and how long it moved, among others.

Then why must we be required to check the box? I mean if Google is spying on us, they already know we are not a robot. Checking a box is overkill.

Its only to give you the idea that they aren't spying...

 

[captaincranky]

What about the proud few such as myself, who resolutely believe, that there's quite a bit of dignity and accomplishment in being able to solve a Captcha? It makes the free porn afterwards all that much more rewarding. I'd compare solving the puzzle to being able to unhook a bra with with only the thumb and index finger of your bad hand. Solving the Captcha is a disguised form of internet foreplay. I swear sometimes I feel like having a cigarette afterwards...(y)

 

[Arris]

Then why must we be required to check the box? I mean if Google is spying on us, they already know we are not a robot. Checking a box is overkill.

The illusion of freedom?

 

[RustyTech]

What about the proud few such as myself, who resolutely believe, that there's quite a bit of dignity and accomplishment in being able to solve a Captcha? It makes the free porn afterwards all that much more rewarding. I'd compare solving the puzzle to being able to unhook a bra with with only the thumb and index finger of your bad hand. Solving the Captcha is a disguised form of internet foreplay. I swear sometimes I feel like having a cigarette afterwards...(y)

lololol


"Last year, Google developed an advanced risk analysis backend for reCaptcha which looks at a user’s entire engagement with a Captcha before, during and after to determine if they are human. Specifically, Google will take into account a variety of factors to determine authenticity including what site the visitor came from, how steady the mouse cursor movement was and how long it moved, among others."

How are they able to see/get info on your cursor movements while on other sites!?!?? Man...is there no way to privately surf the web?

 

[Uncle Al]

Great idea, just hope they can pull it off. Some of those challenges run the letters/numbers together and distort them so badly it is difficult to figure it out. For the employment sites that use it, it discourages a lot of folks from completing their application, which in the long run costs employees good employees. I always wondered why the didn't use a sort of picture challenge where you had to identify the "thing" in the box, which would be easier and should be just as effective as long as they updated the database on a regular basis ..... no?

 

[Jad Chaar]

Great to someone taking the initiative to fix the Captcha. I am kind of skeptical about the technology but it seems like it is effective.

 

[AnonymousSurfer]

Definitely a step in the right direction but I'm wondering on whether or not they require you to use a gmail account or any email... And then when they get it, what are they going to do with it? Store it in a database to be remembered so you can sign in quick? I guess we will have to find out.

 

[PreachJohn]

Whats wrong with the other chapta solutions like the ones that ask you to build a 4 piece jigsaw puzzle.

It takes 2-3 seconds to do and its easy and makes sense for anyone.

Something that isn't mentioned as a good reason for simplifying Captcha is that it just didn't work often for me. I would with absolute certainty type in only to have a rejection over and over and over. When I wanted to tell the Site they had a bad problem with Captcha, my Feedback had to pass that Captcha that still wouldn't work. Enraging.
So, few complaints about Captcha recorded by Google as this poorly coded garbage would block any Feedback about itself to that effect.

 

[Guest]

It could be more convenient, but why somebody think it should effectively work against robots? They got smarter every day and IMHO this is not a panacea - just a temporary measure. It's obvious, programmers should develop their ideas toward 3D-image CAPTCHAS. I've found only two CAPTCHA projects of that kind: one is used in "YUNiTi" project and another is "Gestcha" (search for "hand gesture CAPTCHA" ). Look at them both - I believe, the future of CAPTCHA (if there is one) - in this way.