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

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.

Comments

Re:Lots of work to do

[Baloroth]

It's amusing that you consider this "relegated to a second-hand internet user". If Google can't track you, they can't use said tracking to verify that you're a human. Of course that means you have to do more work to prove you are a human. If you deliberately choose to opt out of a feature of the internet that makes your life more convenient for the sake of privacy, your internet usage is going to be less convenient. This isn't the only area where that happens (for instance, if you don't want credit card companies tracking your purchases, you have to use cash, which is less convenient). This isn't difficult, and let's be honest, it's also not a big deal (these reCaptchas take like 30 seconds maybe every couple of days). Privacy and convenience are, and always have been, a tradeoff.