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Why Captchas have gotten so difficult

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Re: Why Captchas have gotten so difficult

#51

Post by n_ary »

driverdan wrote: post #34
zaarn wrote: post #16

For Google ReCaptcha, simply install the Buster addon, it solves the captcha for you via speech-to-text. For captcha's in general, I think we should stop pretending that we can prevent bot traffic from a dedicated attacker without annoying the users. A simple captcha from the 2000's (the ones with lines over a word or number of letters and numbers), should be good enough to hold off basic script kiddies. Same for a b…

Unfortunately Buster no longer works. Google detects it now and makes you start over.

This. Google just disables captcha immediately. Also I tried clicking the audio manually, it immediately disables with a notice that “we are getting .... please try again later”.

Re: Why Captchas have gotten so difficult

#52

Post by johnisgood »

outime wrote: post #24

Google reCAPTCHA is the absolute worst. It makes me solve several puzzles very often, usually when I use a mobile network and I’m not logged in with any Google account. It’s so frustrating that most of the times I find a reCAPTCHA I give up before trying and just go elsewhere e.g. when a site uses reCAPTCHA for sign up or after the first failed login, I’ll most likely skip if I don’t absolutely need to access such we…

The worst part is that quite a huge percentage of the Internet relies on it! Soon we won't be able to use any sites whatsoever because of it. I don't like where this is going. :/

Re: Why Captchas have gotten so difficult

#53

Post by johnisgood »

nprateem wrote: post #15

These really make my blood boil. I continually trip whatever it is that makes Google think I'm a bot (probably a VPN + ublock). Sometimes it takes upwards of 5 tries (each with 3 or 4 tests) to pass. After the first failure the audio one stops working, and sometimes that's unintelligible. I honestly wonder how anyone who's even slightly visually impaired is supposed to pass them. I wouldn't be surprised if in the not…

It is almost impossible to pass those CAPTCHAs behind Tor. Personally I am not sure if it is possible, I could never pass. It would just give me more and more CAPTCHAs to solve. I gave up after the 6th one.

Re: Why Captchas have gotten so difficult

#54

Post by nyolfen »

jesseb wrote: post #21
nprateem wrote: post #15

These really make my blood boil. I continually trip whatever it is that makes Google think I'm a bot (probably a VPN + ublock). Sometimes it takes upwards of 5 tries (each with 3 or 4 tests) to pass. After the first failure the audio one stops working, and sometimes that's unintelligible. I honestly wonder how anyone who's even slightly visually impaired is supposed to pass them. I wouldn't be surprised if in the not…

I run Linux, use my own VPN, and use Firefox with uMatrix. CAPTCHAs are one of the most user-hostile things I experience on the web. I've had to give up on registering for sites, or signing into sites I'm already registered with, because after literally minutes I still hadn't gotten through. I actively try to avoid sites that use CAPTCHA but unfortunately it's not always possible.

i have what sounds like the same setup as you but i don’t think i’ve ever done more than 3 captchas sequentially, and almost always 1 or 2. /shrug

Re: Why Captchas have gotten so difficult

#57

Post by [deleted] »

bennofs wrote: post #45
Cacti wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I see your point, social credit is not tracking, it is tracking with legal, economic, and political consequences. Given that the consequences to you of opting out of this tracking are little more than a minor inconvenience of your time, comparing it to the nightmare that is the social credit system is laughable. And, I would add, you're in part trivializing the horrendous impact of the social credit system by m…

> ... little more than a minor inconvenience of your time This is not entirely correct. I have seen recaptchas that simply deny access without giving any option to solve them when browsing with Tor. The message says something like: automated systems detected unusual activity, try again later

[deleted]

Re: Why Captchas have gotten so difficult

#58

Post by web007 »

sys_64738 wrote: post #10

I find if I use VPN then google will display one on search. In particular, when I try using Opera VPN then I always get one. I decline to do them so search via bing instead. Forcing users to prove their not bots is totally the wrong approach. They should be forcing bots to prove they're human so that real humans don't see this nonsense. Easier said than done, but that's not my problem.

You do understand that what you're asking for is literally impossible, not just "easier said than done"? Blocking bots until proven human is exactly the same as allowing humans until proven bot.

They already are forcing "bots" to prove they're human, to the best of their abilities. At some point their measures dictate that traffic from VPN = bot, until that "bot" can prove otherwise. If you're blocking whatever mechanisms they use to identify "human" then it shouldn't be a surprise that they can't differentiate you. Their only interface is whatever traffic happens between you and them, not any intention or motivation behind your actions.

They have a negative interest in blocking people from accessing anything, since pageviews = ad views = dollars. The only time they have an incentive to block anyone is for click fraud, or for any similar reputational damage from a person / bot / IP.

Re: Why Captchas have gotten so difficult

#59

Post by thinkloop »

zaarn wrote: post #16

For Google ReCaptcha, simply install the Buster addon, it solves the captcha for you via speech-to-text. For captcha's in general, I think we should stop pretending that we can prevent bot traffic from a dedicated attacker without annoying the users. A simple captcha from the 2000's (the ones with lines over a word or number of letters and numbers), should be good enough to hold off basic script kiddies. Same for a b…

> A simple captcha from the 2000's (the ones with lines over a word or number of letters and numbers), should be good enough to hold off basic script kiddies

The problem is that while the kiddies may not be sophisticated their scripts can be - the solutions will work its way in the scripts sooner than later.

Re: Why Captchas have gotten so difficult

#60

Post by darkpuma »

konschubert wrote: post #55

And I SUCK at these to the point where I think I’m not getting the rules of the game. For example, for the one with traffic lights: Am I supposed to just mark the light bulbs or also the poles and beams?

You're doing it right. Google is gaslighting you; lying and telling you you've failed challenges when you actually solved them correctly. They do this to punish users who opt out of the google 'ecosystem' by not having a google account, not using chrome, using adblockers, etc.

The proof of this assertion comes when you manage to enable the noscript version of reCAPTCHA (which is only available on sites that have opted to use the lowest security setting). Once you start using noscript reCAPTCHA, you discover that your correct answers are accepted the first time every time. The challenges have the same format; click the cars, click the traffic lights, etc. There are two differences: the tiles don't fade in slowly, and the correct answers are always accepted.

Presumably when google implemented their dark patterns in reCAPTCHA, they couldn't be bothered to implement them when javascript wasn't available. I hesitate to draw attention to this since Google might correct their error, but I'd like for people to become more aware of their anti-social business practices.

(By the way, the noscript version will accept either sort of answer. Only the bulbs, or the entire enclosure. Both answers are accepted.)

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