Now, if you’re like any normal American you probably don’t know what a CAPTCHA is, but… you’ve probably seen them before. A CAPTCHA (which is an acronym for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) is a little program that websites use to determine whether or not the thing visiting their website is a human or a robot.They usually show up as text boxes and have a complicated array of numbers and letters that you then have to input into that text box (and pray you got it right). If you enter it wrong, the computer assumes you’re a robot and you get kicked off the site. So, needless to say, we’re not a big fan of CAPTCHA’s. But all of that might change thanks to a little bit of help from a World War II era mathematician and Silicon Valley tech-giant Google, CAPTCHA’s are on the way out. Here’s what you need to know.
CAPTCHA Gets a Much Needed Facelift
Nearly seventy years after Alan Turing first conducted the first Turing Test, which was designed to examine the resemblance between the computer and the human mind, Google has conducted its’ own test. And, it will get rid of those complicated (and unreadable) numbers and letters that have frustrated web users for the past decade. So say so long to the CAPTCHA and say hello to the reCAPTCHA.
Okay, so they couldn’t completely get rid of them. Doing that would have left half the internet exposed to robot attacks and we’re not quite ready for The Matrix or Terminator quite yet. But, the new Google CAPTCHA (or reCAPTCHA 2) gets rid of all of the nuisances associated with the previous versions. Gone are the numbers and letters and in comes a new, easy to use, interface.
GIF c/o wired.comYou still might have to punch in a few numbers, letters or some other additional information but they will be considerably less in number (thanks in part to that check box you see in the GIF there). Then, once the check mark goes green you’re good to go, you’ll get the information you need and it will all happen without too much hassle. And, that all happens in about half the time it would take you while using the old software.
For us, Google’s new CAPTCHA test is a welcome site (though long overdue) and deserves a round of applause. We are truly excited to see this more secure and easy to use system to begin to replace those outdated versions. So, please feel free to enjoy the additional security and speed of reCAPTCHA. CAPTCHA later everybody!
*Apologies for the horrible pun. Take care!
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