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Google's reCAPTCHAv2 is just labor exploitation, boffins say • The Register (www.theregister.com)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

18 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://lazysoci.al/post/15908451

I've been saying this and people keep arguing.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 3 months ago (3 children)

This seems like the critical part to me:

The paper, released in November 2023, notes that even back in 2016 researchers were able to defeat reCAPTCHA v2 image challenges 70 percent of the time. The reCAPTCHA v2 checkbox challenge is even more vulnerable – the researchers claim it can be defeated 100 percent of the time.

reCAPTCHA v3 has fared no better. In 2019, researchers devised a reinforcement learning attack that breaks reCAPTCHAv3's behavior-based challenges 97 percent of the time.

So it isn't even effective at deterring bots? Then what the hell was all this for?

[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 months ago (1 children)

For getting free labor, of course.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 3 months ago

We are basically training their models/bots for them.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It's great for gaslighting people into thinking they don't know what a bicycle looks like!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I spent a huge amount of time last night clicking on motorcycles because I absolutely could not convince PayPal or Google I was a legitimate human who wanted to exchange currency for goods and services

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I find if I trace a figure 8 in the screen with my mouse the captcha passes much more often. I think it probably reads the small variations in your mouse movement to sus out bots, so the figure 8 gives it more data to work with.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I eventually gave up and decided to see if they were being hostile to my network and privacy settings. Lo and behold, I was able to log in when I adjusted the strictness of my VPN. Fortunately the service I was trying to exchange currency for was a better VPN with more security and privacy, so I was willing to take the L on that one interactions

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Introducing a Captcha on a form on my website basically blocked bots 100% of the time. It's arguably good enough from a practical standpoint.

If someone really wants to exploit my site, then they will find a way. You can only make it harder but never truly impossible if you don't want to dispose of all convenience.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

thank you for sharing your experience! Good to hear an anecdote to the contrary.