Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Google's reCAPTCHA Turns 'Invisible,' Will Separate Bots From People Without Challenges (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the prove-you're-not-a-robot dept.

Google is making CAPTCHAs invisible using "a combination of machine learning and advanced risk analysis that adapts to new and emerging threats." Ars Technica reports: The old reCAPTCHA system was pretty easy -- just a simple "I'm not a robot" checkbox would get people through your sign-up page. The new version is even simpler, and it doesn't use a challenge or checkbox. It works invisibly in the background, somehow, to identify bots from humans. Google doesn't go into much detail on how it works, only saying that the system uses "a combination of machine learning and advanced risk analysis that adapts to new and emerging threats." More detailed information on how the system works would probably also help bot-makers crack it, so don't expect details to pop up any time soon. When sites switch over to the invisible CAPTCHA system, most users won't see CAPTCHAs at all, not even the "I'm not a robot" checkbox. If you are flagged as "suspicious" by the system, then it will display the usual challenges.

4 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. Up until it tags the handicapped as bots by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I believe there are accessibility laws most parts of the world ....

  2. Don't know how I feel about this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    For one thing, I never get the checkbox from my residential IP connection. But once I switch to my vpn on my own assigned /24 I get recaptcha's all day. This isn't new, I've been browsing from the same /24 for the last 5 years. Yet for some reason, Google things when I'm coming from there I'm a threat. I know I'm a minority that's going to be drowned out because who cares about the few users caught in the net. It's just an annoying feature that kills any competition for my business. Any remote sites using a squid cache connection get the reCaptcha flag. They switch to a different provider or move the cache server to GCE then everything magically works.

    What's a BOFH to do.

  3. reCAPTCHA is simply another tracker by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    reCAPTCHA is triggered if you take basic precaution when browsing the web, e.g. blocking unnecessary scripts, cookies, trackers, beacons, and of course ads
    If you do, reCAPTCHA will force you to complete a broken AI-training job, collect your behavioral data, and monetize your labor.
    It's purpose: to force you to become a PRODUCT of Google, the all-grabbing data company.

    And now it's even worse.

    Do not endorse reCAPTCHA. Don't put it on your website.

  4. Re:Lots of work to do by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Yep. I constantly need to do them because I have my browser locked down to stop tracking.

    I have to do them all the time, and I'm not even that aggressive regarding blocking tracking. I mostly just clear things out after the fact, every few days - I'm not even running noscript (but I am running an ad blocker, and don't use Google for much).
    I'll be curious to see how many of us this disenfranchises...

    --
    #DeleteChrome