Google ditches Captcha test to check you're not a bot
New system spares users from the need to tick boxes or try to decipher distorted letters
Google has axed its manual Captcha security tool to make way for a new, invisible system that can automatically detect non-human website visitors.
Until now, internet users have often been asked to retype a series of distorted letters to prove they are a human and not a malicious robot – a system known as Captcha: "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart".
On some sites, this has been replaced with "No Captcha reCaptcha", where all that is required is clicking a checkbox.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, Google says it has now developed the technology to such a point that users will no longer be required to do either of these methods.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"109606","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
It says: "Since the launch of No Captcha reCaptcha, millions of internet users have been able to attest they are human with just a single click."
"Now we're taking it a step further and making it invisible. Human users will be let through without seeing the 'I'm not a robot' checkbox, while suspicious ones and bots still have to solve the challenges."
No details on how the new system works have been revealed and ArsTechnica claims it will probably remain a mystery as disclosing any information could "help bot-makers crack it".
Captcha was acquired by Google in 2009 to "not only to deter spammers and bots", but also to "help solve problems" in other areas of its business, says Business Insider.
For example, adds the site, when users successfully selected three pictures of cats from nine animals on the old picture-based reCaptcha puzzles, they were in addition "helping Google's machine learning algorithm understand what a cat looks like".
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Congress starts clock on TikTok ban in foreign aid bill
Speed Read Lawmakers believe that the app poses a national security threat
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Pros and cons of universal health care
Pros and Cons A medical system that serves everyone comes with its own costs, and they're not only financial
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 24, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - war on the big screen, politicians on the stock market, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Artificial history
Opinion Google's AI tailored the past to fit modern mores, but only succeeded in erasing real historical crimes
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Is Google's new AI bot 'woke'?
Talking Points Gemini produced images of female popes and Black Vikings. Now the company has stepped back.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Why Google search results have 'gotten worse'
Under The Radar Search engines are 'flooded' with 'garbage' content, say experts
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
2023: the year of the AI boom
the explainer This year, generative artificial intelligence bypassed the metaverse and became the next big thing in tech
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Is using Google's Enhanced Safe Browsing mode worth it?
Talking Point The mode has its positives and its drawbacks
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Google is pitching an AI journalism tool to major news outlets
Talking Point News executives find the technology called Genesis unsettling
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Forget junk mail. Junk content is the new nuisance, thanks to AI.
Speed Read AI-generative models are driving a surge in content on fake news sites
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Why hasn't Google enforced its policy to stop climate disinformation?
Talking Point Is Google's acceptance of climate misinformation intentional?
By Devika Rao Published