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Turing Tests to Stop Spam

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the human-authentication dept.

cexy writes "The Register has a story about how Hotmail and Yahoo! are using Carnegie Mellon developed captcha technology (completely automated public Turing tests to tell computers and humans apart) to stop spammers from automating signups for accounts from which they can send spam. These guys are using captcha too, but to stop incoming spam."

11 of 279 comments (clear)

  1. What I want to know is... by JPhule · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does Hotmail really think that I have friends named things like ilikeitinthebutt?

    1. Re:What I want to know is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Does Hotmail really think that I have friends named things like ilikeitinthebutt?

      Given who Hotmail's corporate parents are, I don't think you would like the answer to this...

    2. Re:What I want to know is... by Wordplay · · Score: 2, Funny

      Indeed it does. Your Tivo told it so. :D

  2. IRC needs Captmfa by Boss,+Pointy+Haired · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Completely automated public test to tell males and females apart".

    a/s/l?

    "18f,Florida"

    Do you mind if I ask you to take a quick Captmfa?

    "Sure, go ahead" .....

    Test completed. Result = 34m, Detroit.

  3. Re:Yahoo works, hotmail not by guttentag · · Score: 4, Funny
    Either you're advertising your email address, or you've got some really easy to guess address, because the behavior you describe is far from typical.
    It is not "far from typical," I'll have you know. I get tons of spam in my Hotmail inbox!

    Ambrose Buse
    abuse@hotmail.com

  4. Slashdot is no longer section 508 compliant! by yerricde · · Score: 1, Funny

    Warning to Malda & Co.: Now that Slashdot uses a visual CAPTCHA as the only way to create a new account, blind users have no way to sign up for an account. Thus, Slashdot is not accessible to blind people and not compliant with Section 508, a US law that requires web sites of companies that do business with the US government to be accessible to the disabled.

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
  5. Re:CAPTCHA project by Anonymous+Hack · · Score: 5, Funny

    Coming up in version 2.0:

    CAPTCHA: Hello. I am CAPTCHA. How can i help you?

    SPAMMER: /\ \(.*\)@\(.*\)\ /

    C: Please go on.

    S: I would like your email address.

    C: Can you elaborate on that?

    S: I'm planning to spam you.

    C: Does it please you to believe I am planning to spam i?

    S: What the fuck?

    C: Does that question interest you?

    S: ARGH!

    C: Please go on.

    --
    I got a sig so you would remember me.
  6. SPAMmers will advance AI field by thing_from_space · · Score: 2, Funny

    The way SPAMmers seem to outsmart anti-SPAM filters with every new advancement, they just might make a big leap in AI to get past these new filtering techniques.

  7. Re:wrong by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 4, Funny

    6) Profit!

    --
    Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
  8. Simple way to beat image tests by Presto_slashdot · · Score: 3, Funny

    1. Decide which hotmail/yahoo/whatever account you want to sign up.
    2. Send most of the (fake) registration info until it sends you a "turing test" image.
    3. Display the image in the next webhit on your popular porn site saying "to get free porn, type these characters"
    4. Send whatever they type to hotmail/yahoo/whatever & complete your registration.
    5. Profit?

  9. It's more simple than that ... by ciupman · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... why don't they use the Voight-Kampf test to tell them apart?

    --
    I fuse with Mercer every single day...