9 substitutes for CAPTCHA
Leonid Zverugowrote this on Окт 6, 2015
CAPTCHA (“Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”) is a robot-administered test that checks whether a user is an authentic one. It was supposed to be a bulletproof method but nowadays it may not be true. Online security and privacy is a total must and CAPTCHA seem not to be able to provide them. Moreover, CAPTCHA can cause UX failure and break up user flow. So, something must be done here. Joe Concannon addressed the problem in the article.
Here are 8 CAPTCHA Alternatives for Better UX
1. Sweet Captcha
For some websites, not all, it’s a great option: you need to match categories and drag items to prove that you’re a human being. It also adds a game element which makes the process quite fun. And it’s surely easier to decipher than morphed-text CAPTCHA.
2. PlayThru
Just as Sweet Captcha, PlayThru uses a fun element for human verification. Some users will fall in love with the matching game they offer.
3. Biometric Security
Almost every device has a camera and smart screen/trackpad. Why not use them for security? Your face, fingerprints and eyes are the best identifications. Thus, Biometric Security will limit spammers’ ability to create hundreds of accounts.
What about thefts? If a password is stolen, you can create another one. But if your retinal or fingerprint pattern is stolen?
4.Text Message Verification
If we talk about mobile apps, they rely on users’ cell phone numbers instead of usual ID’s and passwords. Text Message Verification solves the problem of hacking by using devices connected to human-only accounts. It also adds personality to the process of security.
5. NuCaptcha
There’s a question on NuCaptcha’s home page: How Much Is User Abandonment Costing Your Company?” Their method of Adaptive Authentication tracks user activity. It’s smart and simple, but still it’s a CAPTCHA.
6. The Honeypot Method
It addresses the problem of interrupting the user workflow, a common issue for other CAPTCHAs. The Honeypot Method finds bots by fooling them into auto-filling forms which are invisible for humans. The only problem is that some browsers auto-fill without prompting the user.
7. Math Captcha
Some developers think that math questions is the most effective way to prove humanity. You can choose where it will activate and what format it will take (simple math problems, word problems, or a high-level math headache).
8. Confident Captcha
It’s a human verification technique based on images. And it’s accuracy is 96% which is impressive. It shows you 9 pictures and asks 3 question about them.
9. No CAPTCHA from reCAPTCHA
Just over a year old, noCAPTCHA is the next step from the reCAPTCHA folks at Google. In fact, it ditches the whole premise of CAPTCHAs.
How is it possible? Track your user data and you’ll see whether it’s a human or not. No CAPTCHA asks you to check “I’m not a robot” box. Then it shows you a picture of a cat and some other pictures below. You need to find the pictures related to the cat.
Openness Powers a Better Experience
Open Authentication (OAuth) works with your “third party” accounts ( Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) and verifies your identity via the profile you already have and that requires authentication, such as a CAPTCHA, to create in the first place. The result of OAuth is “secure delegated access”.
