What are reCAPTCHA and CAPTCHA and why do I keep seeing them?
If you’ve ever been online and had your surfing interrupted by a test asking you to “Click all the traffic lights” or “Type in these wonky letters”, you've encountered CAPTCHA.
While it may seem like an annoying roadblock between you and wherever you’re trying to go, CAPTCHA serves an important function: protecting the internet from bots and spam. If you’d like to find out what CAPTCHA – and its younger cousin, reCAPTCHA – is, why it keeps popping up, and how to navigate it (almost) painlessly, this article is for you!
By Alyssa SchmittSolving a CAPTCHA test does not have to be frustrating with our tips
What does CAPTCHA mean and what does it do?
First off, let’s define CAPTCHA:
CAPTCHA is a challenge-response test used on websites to figure out whether a user is a human or a bot.
Why do we have CAPTCHA tests? Because of the need to protect websites from bots, which are automated programs that can wreak havoc on the internet. For example, bots can be programmed to:
Spam comment sections of websites with advertisements
Flood online forms with fake submissions
Steal data from websites using automated scripts
CAPTCHA acts as a gatekeeper to this sort of bot activity by asking for an action or a response that could not be preprogrammed – performing it correctly is a way of proving that the user is indeed human.
Good to know: mail.com uses CAPTCHA tests to prevent bots from registering fake email accounts and spamming our online contact form. So, if you sign up for an email account with mail.com, the registration process includes a reCAPTCHA checkbox.
You may have seen different sorts of CAPTCHA tests, e.g.:
Text-based CAPTCHA: You are shown a series of distorted letters and numbers and have to type them out.
Image CAPTCHA: You see a grid of photos and have to click on certain images such as bicycles or crosswalks.
Audio CAPTCHA: For users with visual impairments, an audio clip is played with numbers or words that need to be typed out.
What does the CAPTCHA acronym stand for?
If you had ever even heard the word “CAPTCHA” before reading this post, you may have wondered whether it is a made-up word or an abbreviation or what? (Personally, the first few times I heard it, I thought people were saying “capture,” which was confusing...) “CAPTCHA” is an acronym that stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”. Because of course it does!
This immediately raises a further question of what the “Turing test” part is all about. It’s named after British computer scientist Alan Turing, who designed a test to determine whether a machine could exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from a human. CAPTCHA is a modern application of his idea.
Who invented CAPTCHA and why?
And who do we have to thank for this useful-yet-annoying innovation? CAPTCHA was invented by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in the early 2000s. This was a time when bots were getting increasingly sophisticated and traditional security measures weren’t keeping up. The team wanted to develop a system that could distinguish between humans and machines. Over time, CAPTCHA has evolved to adapt to ever smarter robots.
What is reCAPTCHA?
You may have also noticed the term “reCAPTCHA” when verifying that you are not a robot. Developed by Google, reCAPTCHA is a more advanced version of the CAPTCHA test that is designed to make the process easier for humans while still blocking robots.
CAPTCHA vs. reCAPTCHA
The main difference between traditional CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA is that CAPTCHA requires more effort from you, the user. For example, with traditional CAPTCHA, you might have to perform a complex test like reading a distorted text and then typing the characters you see. reCAPTCHA, on the other hand, often spares you that task by analyzing your behavior.
For example, reCAPTCHA is sometimes completely invisible. You won’t even realize you’re taking the test because reCAPTCHA will simply track how you interact with the site – such as how you move your mouse or scroll – to determine if you’re human. In other cases, reCAPTCHA may simply ask you to click a checkbox that says, “I'm not a robot.” But other times you will get a reCAPTCHA image where you are asked to select objects on images like buses or fire hydrants for further verification. The familiar reCAPTCHA checkbox is a simpler alternative to the classic CAPTCHA test
Why am I still getting CAPTCHA tests?
If you feel you’re seeing CAPTCHA or reCAPTCHA a lot when searching or surfing the web, there's usually a reason. Sites will use CAPTCHA when they detect activity that could be associated with bots. Here are some common CAPTCHA triggers:
Unusual traffic from an IP address: If there are a lot of requests from your network, it may trigger a CAPTCHA as a precaution. This can happen on shared or public Wi-Fi networks.
High activity over a short period of time: Frequent page updates or submitting forms too quickly can make a website suspicious.
Browser settings or extensions: Certain browser settings or add-ons can make you look like a robot to the website.
To reduce the frequency of CAPTCHA tests, you can:
Use a private network instead of public Wi-Fi
Avoid quick or repetitive actions online
Clear your browser cookies and cache to refresh your activity profile
Tips for dealing with CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA
Have you ever been stuck in a seemingly endless loop of clicking on motorcycles and being asked to do it again? If you are having trouble solving CAPTCHA tests, here are five tricks you can try:
Reload the test: If you get stuck on a tricky test, you can usually load a new version of the test by clicking the refresh symbol in the lower corner of the CAPTCHA window.
Enlarge the view: If you can't see small details in an image, zoom in and take a closer look. Pressing the “CTRL” and “+” keys will increase the size in most browsers.
Update your browser: Older browsers may not handle CAPTCHA as smoothly, so make sure yours is up to date.
Activate JavaScript. Since ReCAPTCHA requires JavaScript to work properly, check that JavaScript is enabled in your browser and that no extensions are running that would interfere with CAPTCHA.
Switch it up: If CAPTCHA is not working despite these steps, you can try using a different browser, e.g., Firefox instead of Chrome, or another search engine, e.g. Bing instead of Google.
If you get stuck, you can load a new test by clicking the icon on the far left
Alternatives to reCAPTCHA
People with visual impairments or other accessibility issues may find reCAPTCHA particularly challenging. Fortunately, you have alternatives! For example, by clicking on the headphone icon in the reCAPTCHA test, you can choose to do an audio test instead of a visual one.
Clicking the headphone icon opens an audio reCAPTCHA
While you may sometimes wonder if it is possible to bypass reCAPTCHA altogether, using tools and extensions that promise to do so may violate the website’s terms of service. Many CAPTCHA systems now offer different options for users who have difficulties with traditional tests. If you often encounter difficulties on a website, consider contacting the site’s support team to see if they offer alternative authentication methods.
Why are CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA important?
While CAPTCHAs and reCAPTCHAs can be annoying, they play a valuable role in keeping the internet running smoothly. They protect websites from spam, fraud, and data theft, which helps real users (like you) have a better online experience. So, the next time you are asked to prove you're not a robot, instead of being annoyed, take a deep breath and remember that with just a couple of clicks, you are helping keep the internet safer!
We hope this article cleared up all your questions about CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA. Now that you know why mail.com uses it on our secure registration page, why not sign-up for an account with us today?
