CAPTCHA: human-bot digital boundary

Introduction and Evolution of CAPTCHA

• Introduced in the early 2000s to protect users from automated bots.

• Initially, users had to solve distorted text or characters that bots struggled to understand.

• Over time, CAPTCHA has evolved to include other challenges to verify humans, such as picking an image with a specific object.

The Turing Test and CAPTCHA

• CAPTCHA was based on the Turing test proposed by British mathematician Alan Turing in the 1950s.

• The test ensures tasks are easy for humans but hard for computers.

Modifications and Evolution of CAPTCHA

• In 2009, reCAPTCHA was introduced, using words from scanned books to verify users.

• Google introduced ‘Invisible reCAPTCHA’ in 2014, using users’ mouse movements to verify human identity.

CAPTCHA’s Role in Internet Security

• CAPTCHA is used in various places, including business websites, financial and e-commerce websites, and online surveys and polls.

• It helps prevent bots from stealing credit cards or personal data.

Limitations of CAPTCHA

• As bots get smarter, they can sometimes trick CAPTCHA.

• It can be challenging for people with disabilities, especially those with hearing problems.

• CAPTCHA adds an extra step to user interactions, making it frustrating.

• As bots get smarter, they can sometimes bypass even the best CAPTCHA systems.

Future of CAPTCHA

• As bots get smarter and people have different expectations, CAPTCHA needs to be more accessible and user-friendly.