[NFB-DB] A solution for CAPTCHAs
Christopher Toth
q.alpha at gmail.com
Mon Mar 28 02:05:16 UTC 2016
Hi list,
I'm the lead developer at Accessible Apps, a small software company
devoted to improving the lives of the blind.
Recently I have been focusing my development efforts on a solution for
CAPTCHAs.
CAPTCHAs are the little text boxes which ask you to enter the letters
and numbers that you see above while you are signing up for websites,
downloading software, making purchases, and otherwise using the web.
Historically these have been difficult for the blind and nearly
impossible for the deaf-blind, as often times the CAPTCHAs have either
no alternative or an audio-only option.
I believe I have come up with a solution which will make CAPTCHAs a
problem of the past.
I have designed and developed a service called CAPTCHA Be Gone.
This is a powerful online service along with a set of extensions which
you can install into your browser. Currently it works with Firefox and
Internet Explorer, and support for more browsers including those for
mobile devices is planned.
How it works:
Once you have signed up for CAPTCHA Be Gone and installed the extension
in your browser, just go to any page with a CAPTCHA on it, press a
single keystroke, wait about 12 seconds for the service to solve the
CAPTCHA, and the solution is automatically copied to your clipboard. You
can then paste it in the field and go on about your day.
The service is still in Beta, but I expect to be launching it very soon
for Internet Explorer and Firefox, with more browsers quick to follow.
Access to CAPTCHA Be gone will cost $3.50 a month, or you can buy a
year at a time for $36. I first tried developing a completely automated
system which I could offer very cheaply or for free, but it turns out
that we still need humans on the bback end to handle tricky CAPTCHAs
that machines cannot. that said, I believe I've hit a good balance that
will allow the service to exist but not be financially burdensome.
If you're interested in CAPTCHA be Gone, go on over to
https://CAPTCHABeGone.com and sign up for the mailing list to get an
announcement when it is publicly available!
I look forward to your feedback, and am very excited to be launching
CAPTCHA Be Gone soon!
- Chris
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