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Re: FOSSExperts

Joshua D. Drake wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:14:51 +0100 (BST), MJ Ray <..hidden..>
> wrote:
> > site expects all humans to be able to pass eyetests.  Please could
> > you switch that off or allow another way to register that doesn't
> > require specific physical abilities?
> 
> You can obviously see the site (or have a page reader). Would a text based
> captcha versus image work?

A text-based captcha would probably work better.

> > Is discriminating against disabled users still legal in the USA? :-(
> 
> Captcha is pretty common. It isn't discrimination.

CAPTCHAs are pretty rare - most things that call themselves CAPTCHAs
actually *can't* tell Computers and Humans Apart (the CHA bit),
especially if the human is not perfectly able. The name cons developers.
Such tests are common forms of disability discrimination.  They are
the web's shameful equivalent of "no blacks, no dogs, no Irish" signs.

To reply to a followup: Google's reCaptcha is particularly evil-doing.
A hearing test is not a good alternative to an eyetest - more people
have impaired hearing than impaired vision.  Also, papers linked from
recaptcha.net clearly state that accessibility is an unsolved problem,
but that is not mentioned on the main site and I doubt many users read
the PDFs.  Even worse, the standard code used to put it on sites tells
disabled users they are not human!  It's a CAPTCHA con trick, marketed
by Google.  The "re" should mean "replace immediately".

A text-based captcha would probably work better, but if you're worried
about spam, real anti-spam measures like email activation (with VERP
to auto-delete accounts without valid email addresses) or denying new
users the ability to post links or do other disruptive actions without
approval might be better ways to deter abuse than ability testing.
Serious spammers will get an able-bodied human to register first anyway.

Thanks for any improvement, though.

Hope that explains,
-- 
MJ Ray <..hidden..>
Kewstoke, Somerset, England
 http://mjr.towers.org.uk/