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CAPTCHA Conspiracy
Aug. 5th, 2020 04:20 pmI really, really hate CAPTCHAs! You know, those silly little visual tests they give you with squiggly letters or pictures with traffic lights and fire hydrants which, if you get them right, are supposed to prove that YANAR (You Are Not A Robot). But in the midst of a pandemic, with more and more of our life moving online, we find ourselves having to perform those silly little tests more and more often.
So, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways. No, on second thought, let me DISCUSS the ways. I mean, I'm perfectly willing to concede that a computer or a robot is much better, and certainly much faster than me at counting. But discussing? Not so much.
In the first place, why should I have to prove my humanity to a computer? After all, I know I'm human. Wouldn't it be better if the COMPUTER had to prove to ME that I can trust it to perform the tasks that I need or want it to perform? Just who is the master here, and who or what the servant (server?)
Secondly, if I flunk the test, is that supposed to prove that I'm NOT human? If so, it's certainly not a very reliable test! For the pictorial ones, the traffic lights may be so tiny and blurry and far in the distance that even if I squint at the picture for ages, I can't be sure whether or not to tick that box. And the distorted letters? They're difficult for me too, especially given that when we're interacting with computers, we're actually ENCOURAGED to dream up passwords that substitute "$" for "s" or "0" for "o"!
I guess it'll be a long time yet before we're free of this nonsense. Are we getting to a point where we're all aspiring to emulate computers, rather than modelling computers and robots on US? Sorry Alexa and Siri, but I want no part of it!
So, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways. No, on second thought, let me DISCUSS the ways. I mean, I'm perfectly willing to concede that a computer or a robot is much better, and certainly much faster than me at counting. But discussing? Not so much.
In the first place, why should I have to prove my humanity to a computer? After all, I know I'm human. Wouldn't it be better if the COMPUTER had to prove to ME that I can trust it to perform the tasks that I need or want it to perform? Just who is the master here, and who or what the servant (server?)
Secondly, if I flunk the test, is that supposed to prove that I'm NOT human? If so, it's certainly not a very reliable test! For the pictorial ones, the traffic lights may be so tiny and blurry and far in the distance that even if I squint at the picture for ages, I can't be sure whether or not to tick that box. And the distorted letters? They're difficult for me too, especially given that when we're interacting with computers, we're actually ENCOURAGED to dream up passwords that substitute "$" for "s" or "0" for "o"!
I guess it'll be a long time yet before we're free of this nonsense. Are we getting to a point where we're all aspiring to emulate computers, rather than modelling computers and robots on US? Sorry Alexa and Siri, but I want no part of it!
