Category: the Rant Board
This This morning, while I was trying to register on a certain web site, I came across this feature where you have to type a verification code (exactly as you see it).
Just underneath that, there was an option whereby you could contact the site admins if you are visually impaired.
Naturally I made use of that option, but, 5 minutes later, I received an email stating that the email I sent to the site admins for assistance, could not be delivered.
Now this must be about the 50th web site I come across that has this annoying feature.
I know that web sites such as Yahoo, and many others also have this crap.
I realise that these people have to take measures to protect themselves from unwanted intruders, but surely, with todays advanced knowledge and technology, there has to be alternative ways, don't you think?
Also, it's not always possible to have sited assistance at hand to tell you what letters and numbers are displayed.
In this country (South Africa), everyone is up in arms about their constitutional rights, people in wheel chairs must have access to everything, on tv they now have news bulletins that are interpreted into sign language for deaf people, and so the list goes on.
I know that this is not South Africa, but stil ...
What do you think?
Well I received a email from a boss of mine. The message stated that in the near future, that credit card companies will have these codes when buying crap from the net. The little window with the code will be floating somewhere on the screen. So this may put a damper on buying things from the internet. The worse part is that I purchase groceries from a site.
Would it be possible for OCR software such as Kurzweil or OpenBook to scan the screen and recognize the letters in the picture? I'd guess not since if it were possible hackers could do the same thing (although this software is expensive, but it can always be cracked). Somehow the credit card companies must be the ones taking action, if e.g. certain cards were listed along with the name and address of the card holder as non-exempt from verification, that might be a way forward. If this image things gets more disruptive I'd imagine something like that would have to be taken into account. I think though it's highly unlikely you'll have to verify codes and such every time you shop with a web site, it'd be disruptive to the frequent customers so I am not too worried about that, not yet.
cheers
-B
Hmmm, don't know if I like what I hear.
If more and more companies are going to implement this shite, then surely something must be done about it, not so?
Blind peoples mony is just as good as sighted peoples mony, the credit card companys want your mony, there'll be a way to deal with verrifycation.
The whole code verification thing annoys me. Some of them have audio codes, which works okay. But so many of them ask you to contact an administrator, and when you do that, either your email comes back, or it never gets a response. So yeah, I'm with you on this one. It's annoying!!
In all the time I "contacted" someone because I was unable to figure out the verification codes, I never even once got a response.
Maybe I/we should consider some sort of online petition ...
for your information, you can use open book's freedom import printer to print the web page with the code on it. this doesn't always work, however.
Freedom import printer? How do you get to that, I'm using openbook 7.0. I too find this very annoying. There was one site I use to use can't remember the name of it where the admin did help me. He emailed me back asking what I wanted my username and password to be and I emailed him and he set it up for me.
Now I also hear there's software companies such as norton for example where you need to type that crap in to uninstall the program from the system. The only use I can see to this is so hackers can't do this because I know a bot is not going to be running around on my pc.
Troy
I'm definitely not going to buy that software just to occasionally print out some page with a stupid verification code on it, especially if it's not guaranteed to work all the time.
just act like you're printing the page. All you do is hit control plus p, and make sure freedom import printer is selected in the printer list. If you use 7.0, there's a 7.02 update.
Frustration of frustrations. Recently, I have had to rely on an extremely trusted online friend to help me set up accounts at times, because I don't always have sighted assistance. This irks me, especially because I am the only one that wants to have potential access to my accounts.
Recently, I wanted to see if an old account for a very fun and innovative forum was still active. I went to log in and you have to type in a code every single time you log in. I am saddened and disappointed that a forum that I really used to enjoy being a part of now has this frustrating barrier. I could understand filling in the code to sign up. But just to log in? It seems as though all of the other information that is asked of you is not even taken in to account.
Meka
Why shouldn't someone in a chair have the right of access? good luck to them, I wish some people here had more fight in them.
Goblin, I don't have a problem if someone in a wheel chair demands and gets the right to access.
My point is that my right to access certain areas on the Internet, is being violated by organisations/companies implementing these craps methods of what they call "protecting themselves).
I feel I'm already paying a lot of money to have my computer and the Internet made accessible for me, ....
What the hell.
I'm sure some of you might get my drift.
I understand your fuustration with the word verification issue. It goes even a step further though. Some sites are inadvertently penalizing those of us who can't read the verification codes. 2 file hosting companies similar to yousendit and sendspace come to mind right now.
radipshare.de and megaupload Both companies offer a free and a premium service. Part of the benifit of using the premium service of these sites is that you don't have to enter the verification code when u want to download a file like u do if u want a free download. I've sent rapidshare a few emails politely asking them to remove the verification, explaining both the basic concept behind screen readers and that this how blind people access the internet, but my emails were never answered. I tried to contact the company wich hosts megaupload via their web based emailing system, and it yielded the same result: nothing. I can't really do much else, I don't think I could sue either company given that they are both EU based, so the bottom line is it's all a bunch of bullshit, and people with disabilities miss out. Not to worry though, there are better services than these 2 around anyway. Tot ziens Q!
Quinton, I've bitched moaned and signed a google patition to stop this word verification shit. As for the audio ones, my experience with them has been okay even though sometimes there hard to hear. As for the shit that's going on in South africa in reguards to your constitutional rites that's another rant for another topic.
M Biko.
yeah it is annoying. lol people should just send harddrive killers to hese sites and knock out the serers!!lol.
no seriously they shouldn't but it would be funny if that happened i will admit.
the verification codes are stupid how are we the blind supposed to access the sites that's right we can't
Things haven't changed much since this topic was first created.
Even some email servers are starting to have this verification code shit and it drives me up a brick wall. I hate it with a ppasion.
Now this is pathetically funny. I just tried buying a ticket to a show through ticketmaster (who are bad enough for other reasons but that's besides the point) and they have a link on their site for "accessible tickets" which apparently means some sort of order form you need to fill out. I guess the way it's supposed to work is that you fill out the form which only says that you want to buy tickets; you're not actually placing an order and someone is supposed to get back to you. This also has some flaws (tickets that sell quickly and may leave the person wanting to go shit out of luck for one) but that's also beside the point. I usually have someone read the verification code to me but right this second, nobody was around. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the "accessible tickets" link and jaws crashed on me.
For those of you who're trying to download the latest version of Windowslive Messenger/MSN messenger using Vista, they've now introduced a verification code there, which you have to key in before you hit the Install button. i've had to buy a new laptop for College recently and I was trying to download Messenger on there just now and came across the verification code, so those of you who're thinking of purchasing a laptop with Windows Vista, just be aware you'll now need sighted assistance when installing programmes on your desktop or laptop.
Hey, I could go on and on about this topic and send these posts to these good-for-nothing companies. Couldn't there be someone I can contact about this issue? As for sighted assistants, It is risky having someone read characters in the image. That person could get personal information, user name, password, and so on. They could hack into your account!You never know what they can collect from a sign up form. msn hotmail has pushed me to the limit with this, and I'm going to do something about it. So, whatever you do, don't ask anyone sighted for help, and do, not, go with msn hotmail!
wasn't planning on it, and those codes are a royal pain in the arse i have a yahoo account, and it sometimes gives me these weird messages with character strings I have to type in before my e-mail can be sent. Gur'r'r'r'r! Is there a way i can get around them, or not, because i'm sick of having to have someone read them for me all the time.
Yes that is a pain. On some sites I have to go through visual verification before I change a password. Isn't it enough that I proved myself the first time? when I signed up?
You're right Q, I hate those things as well.
I totally understand security, but there must be other ways for people with disabilitys or visual impairments to read the verification code.
I hate captchas!
Do any of you think I should send any of these board posts to some companies that do the verification codes such as msn? Why or why not. When any of you had to use the visual varification, how did yu do that? SSSSSighted help can be quite dangerous. I don't even trust my mom using my computer. She could hack into anything. Well, I'll explain more in another topic.
If you are worried about captcha, before you sign up for a service, look at the sign up form, especially look for key words like image varification, word varification, or captcha. If you see any of these key words, don't sign up! You won't get anywhere. If one company doesn't work, try another. Also, contact the company you are signing up with about this issue.
I say we all, in the blind comunity should flood them with letters asking for either an audio captcha or some kind of accessible alternitive.
That's a good idea. I've been trying for months to sign up with msn.Thanks to the varification code, there's no way on god's green earth I'll ever get an msn account and use msn mesenger. Another way is to send these people an email and explain the issue here, and add a link to freedom scientific link to the email and ask them to install jaws, and sign up for there service using jaws only and the screen turned off. That will teach them a lesson. I think we should petition these companies. Web hosting providers are just as bad. You can't find a web hosting provider that doesn't do that captcha. It's impossible.
That's the end of my little rant.
The msn one has audio verification but it is so hard to understand and now the aim one is broke.
Msn audio varification is hard to understand. How would you go about typing characters in a picture?
Softhome.net is good for web-based email, and if you want to be able to download to Outlook Express and such, it's only nine dollars a year. Their verification is the most sensible one I've ever seen, and I wish other sites would implement this: it says something like
"to demonstrate your sentience, what is 6 plus 5?"
... so it's not actually a image you have to see in order to fill in the field!
Their site isn't overly cluttered and difficult to navigate with Jaws, either.
I absolutely hate MSN/Hotmail, for the reasons cited above. You cannot understand the audio alternative, and even if you can, the site doesn't accept what you hear and type in!
My greatest distress with all of this at the moment is
fanfiction.net.
You have to sign in every three days, and their audio option doesn't play, for some reason. It did last week. I have no idea what the problem can be. I've written to the support address in the past for a different reason, and get nothing. I don't feel I can write to them about this, as I'm not sure what to say.
I have no sighted help, and even if I did, it violates my privacy to have to ask someone to look at a site I'm going to. I don't really want people knowing my business!
The only option is to go with a different messenger than msn. The only problem is that Most of my friends have msn, even my best friend. If they don't get on the ball and make the image varification more accessible, I'll hack into their site. That's what they get!
Quinton and other please note that I totally understand your frustrations and I do my best to advocate to websites how unuseful those codes are --- but in a day of people stealing identities the code thing is there for your protection believe it or not. I do personally think that they should just use a pin number system as thy dowith ATM machines.
But untilthe day that this issue is solved please note thta I am available by msn or by email to assist in helping read these craszy codes.
doug v
ind4166@hotmail.com
Ps it may take a few minutes at times to get to you so please be patient...doug
What's wrong with the CAPTCHA for AIM? There should be an audio version, and the company settled a lawsuit over access issues with NFB. Please explain the issues you've experienced with the AIM CAPTCHA so we can try and get that one resolved.
Microsoft has an audio CAPTCHA. It isn't perfect, but it is definitely usable as a reasonable accomodation. If there are issues making it completely unusable, then we need to be contacting Microsoft.
In any case, we don't have to take this stuff lying down! Please visit http://blindwebaccess.com and sign the petition asking Yahoo! to make their CAPTCHA accessible. After that, please visit http://www.blindaccessjournal.com and participate in accessibility evangelism!
Well, I don't have a problem with aim, it's msn that is giving me trouble.
Okay,
I am not a sue happy person, meaning when ever something doesn't go my way I say lets sue them.
Normally I think people that, every time there doctor makes a mistake, there kid gets caught drinking under aged and are in a car wreck Or little johnny sticks a screw driver in his eye and wants to sue the company cause. well nobody ever told him not to stick a screw driver in his eye. I normally think those people are idiots!
But, I would love to file a class action law suit against every web page that has this "read the letters in the image" shit with out an alternative.
What pisses me off is most of the time it's the middle of the night or some other time when nobody is around to read the letters and it just hacks me off to no end!
ok, off soap box.
where is the nfb when you need them, off sueing target?
MSN's alternative is *not* reasonable, because its audio sample can often not be understood, there's such distortion in it, not to mention that the person speaking the letters sounds about a mile away from the microphone. This is not acceptable.
Good Idea dawsin. Class action law suit! These egg heads that do the image varification crap need to be punished. That audio on msn is so horrible. I understand trying to varify if it's a person, not an automated program, but the audio is so unreasonable.
I agree with you q. These varification code things are annoying! However there is one site I visit and it acconlges that visually immpaired users may want to sign up and says that it doesn't have an alturnitive to the picture crap. Oh please give me a break!
hi. Not only are they annoying, but as was pointed out in other places, they could also be very bad for those folks who do online banking or keep other sensitive data online. A site you use today might not be usable tomorrow thanks to this system. I'm not an alarmist here, folks. Usually I'm very laid back and usually I find alternatives to get to the information I need to get to, but what I would love to ask these representatives is this. Put on a blind fold, and let's see how far you get solving the captcha without any kind of audio alternative. Maybe that would change their tune a bit? Either way, one person occasionally writing them isn't going to help this problem. I'm not certain that these online petitions really do all the help they claim to, but it did get Google to provide an audio captcha so I suppose anything is possible. Either way, it poses a real threat to us if we can't access important data that we could access one day, but not the next. I don't mind them having *some* kind of system for protection against identity theft or against spam, I get that just fine. It's not the reason why it's being done, it's the system they use that we all need to contact these sites about. and for Christsakes do it, nicely? If you swear at them and get all angry that won't help anyone's cause. You'll just piss them off and they won't be likely to help any other blind person out. so be kind and respectful when asking for captcha's that everyone can use.
These verification codes really, really, really, really, really hack me off! I had real issues with Paypal about 9 months ago, and I wrote to them. As others have said, I got no response! However, a few months later, they did provide an audio captcha. I've been involved with web builders who designed a captcha for a website I was working on. Each code is classed as a graphic, a picture, and, in html, all graphics can be given meta tags or long descriptions, which enables Jaws to explain the picture. So, potentially, if the coders took the time to label each of the graphics, Jaws would be able to read them, no problem. That the thing that makes my blood boil. Ok, there are thousands of captchas to labe, but if you put a code up, you need to be bound to making it accessible! For the sake of a few hours of somebody's time, we wouldn't be having this problem! I do agree with a previous poster though. It's very easy to lose sight of the fact that those codes are here to protect us, not just to inconvenience us.