[Nfb-web] Securing Web Forms

[Peter Donahue]

Good afternoon everyone,

    Given the constant number of questions asked about the use of captchas 
and other methods of securing Web forms while complying with accessibility 
guidelines I fear that not enough information is being given to help us 
direct someone to the best possible solution. Whenever folks ask how best to 
protect their sites from spam bots perhaps some additional information 
should be shared to further assist us. This could include:
1. The Web development language being used, PHP, ColdFusion, .ASP, etc.
2. The framework under which the site runs: ColdFusion on Wheels, Mach 2, 
Model Glue, Ruby on Rails, ASP.NET, etc.
3. The type of blogging or other component software used: WordPress, Mango 
Blog, PHPDB, QCart, etc.
4. Does the site run in a content management system: Drupal, Mura, Joomla, 
Orchard, etc.

    I've all ready suggested that there are utilities one can install which 
will provide a screening solution for sites developed with ColdFusion. 
Perhaps there are similar utilities available for PHP and other languages 
that will do the same thing.

    Likewise frameworks, and Content Management Systems may have modules 
that can be installed to add the ability to screen for spam with, and 
without the need for a captcha. Knowing this information will better equip 
us to advise you on the best spam control solution to protect your site 
without compromizing its accessibility to visitors with disabilities 
including the blind.

Peter Donahue