Comments | suggestions: An alternative to ReCAPTCHA for devices or browsers unable to support it

lady_angelina in suggestions

An alternative to ReCAPTCHA for devices or browsers unable to support it

Dec 22, 2008 19:00

Title
An alternative to ReCAPTCHA for devices or browsers unable to support it

Short, concise description of the idea
I would like to have an alternative method of "proving that a user is a human" to ReCAPTCHA for devices or browsers that are unable to support it.

Full description of the ideaSeveral functions of LiveJournal are contingent upon ( Read more... )

account creation, captchas, accessibility, § no status, comment creation, spam

Comments 12

azurelunatic January 6 2009, 23:43:53 UTC

There was at least formerly an audio test possible.

lady_angelina January 7 2009, 00:18:21 UTC

Yeah, but my phone won't even display the ReCAPTCHA dialogue at all. It probably wouldn't show the audio test if it were embedded in it.

However... Maybe have a non-scripting-dependent version of it? Perhaps a text link, separate from ReCAPTCHA, to the audio test?

Also, if you haven't already gotten that far, plz to reject my SB-related suggestion. I don't want it in the queue anymore, after Daddy Clanger pointed out that it may just be an LJLogin issue and nothing more. Thanks.

azurelunatic January 7 2009, 00:22:40 UTC

Done! I was waiting on doing anything with it because I remembered there was a comment thread that I was going to go look up and re-read.

lady_angelina January 7 2009, 08:27:29 UTC

Thank you! <3

Thread 6

charliemc January 7 2009, 00:02:59 UTC

It seems like a reasonable request in light of those who can't access with the current ReCAPTCHA...

7rin January 8 2009, 03:32:53 UTC

Noooo, 'cause then I'd end up using my fone all the time while I'm on my breaks while at work and then I'd run up massive bills and wouldn't be able to pay for _any_ connection at all.

:p

Seriously, yeah, I'm sure it'd be a good idea, if there's a workaround that's possible.

nostariel January 14 2009, 04:43:27 UTC

YES

(The comment has been removed)

azurelunatic February 4 2010, 12:29:13 UTC

I was able to navigate recaptcha's thing using Lynx, and having my blood pressure spike at each stupid thing, but was ultimately able to download an audio file. Apparently one has to pick the audio challenge, and then the "Can't hear the sound?" link, in order to download the audio file. >_<

So it's still amazingly unfriendly, but not completely unworkable.

Also belated lady_angelina June 25 2010, 06:19:36 UTC

That might work in Lynx, even if it's cumbersome, but it won't work in BlackBerry or other mobile browsers, apparently. In order to get to the link, you have to have the dialogue box containing the ReCAPTCHA thing appear, and it won't even do that in BlackBerry, scripting enabled or no.

Also... a couple of things I'm wondering: 1. Could you add the "captcha" tag to this entry? I had a hell of a time trying to find this suggestion because I couldn't remember what it was tagged with. ;) And 2. Since this was first suggested over a year and a half ago, and now more functions require ReCAPTCHA (such as password resets, which I used to be able to do on my mobile phone a few years ago but can't do anymore, so if I lose computer access again and have to rely on mobile AND forget my password, I'm screwed =X )... is it time to have this suggestion revisited, do you think? >.>

ETA: I don't know how viable this idea is, because it could be subject to abuse, but... what about having LJ make an exception based on the user's agent ( ... )

Re: Also belated azurelunatic June 25 2010, 09:08:22 UTC

Tagged!

I don't have detailed practical knowledge of user agent string shenanigans, but "if someone could spoof", make that "if someone feels like spoofing"; there are tools out there to make spoofing a user agent string easy.

I'll poke upwards and ensure that staff get made aware on the accessibility front there.