I do wonder if ProductHunt uses any CAPTCHA solution.
In spite of the flack that CAPTCHAs usually get, I still think they have a lot of value in fighting the majority of these spam attacks.
The common criticisms are:
- They impact usability, accessibility and privacy. Users hate them, etc.
These are all issues that can be improved. In the last few years there have been several CAPTCHAs that work without user input at all, and safeguard user privacy.
- They're not good enough, sophisticated (AI) bots can easily bypass them, etc.
Sure, but even traditional techniques are useful at stopping low-effort bots. Sophisticated ones can be fought with more advanced techniques, including ML. There are products on the market that do this as well.
- They're ineffective against dedicated attackers using mechanical turks, etc.
Well, sure, but these are entirely different attack methods. CAPTCHAs are meant to detect bots, and by definition, won't be effective against attackers who decide to use actual humans. Websites need different mechanisms to protect against that, but those are also edge cases and not the main cause of the spam we see today.
In spite of the flack that CAPTCHAs usually get, I still think they have a lot of value in fighting the majority of these spam attacks.
The common criticisms are:
- They impact usability, accessibility and privacy. Users hate them, etc.
These are all issues that can be improved. In the last few years there have been several CAPTCHAs that work without user input at all, and safeguard user privacy.
- They're not good enough, sophisticated (AI) bots can easily bypass them, etc.
Sure, but even traditional techniques are useful at stopping low-effort bots. Sophisticated ones can be fought with more advanced techniques, including ML. There are products on the market that do this as well.
- They're ineffective against dedicated attackers using mechanical turks, etc.
Well, sure, but these are entirely different attack methods. CAPTCHAs are meant to detect bots, and by definition, won't be effective against attackers who decide to use actual humans. Websites need different mechanisms to protect against that, but those are also edge cases and not the main cause of the spam we see today.