Anticipated for the past two years, Google and Apple Inc. have officially announced their plans to discontinue the use of annoying Captchas for all their users by the end of this year.
Captchas, which stand for “Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart,” are a combination of alphanumeric characters used by servers to differentiate humans from online bots. These captchas typically require users to solve puzzles by selecting correct images from a set of boxes arranged in different forms.
Given the increasing number of users signing up for privacy passes, the two tech giants have decided to simplify the process by implementing a single code for user logins to access services. Once the user authenticates a service request, a digital token is generated and stored in the browser, informing other websites that a human is behind the login.
However, with the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence, recent security studies have shown that bots have become highly sophisticated and can now solve captchas within a mere 20-second time-frame, jeopardizing the effectiveness of captcha technology.
The question arises: will this development lead to more troubles? Only time will provide a relevant answer to this concern.
It is worth noting that not all users are pleased with this technology, as captchas can be inconvenient and bothersome at times.
To address these concerns, companies have introduced alternative authentication methods such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and biometrics. These options allow users to verify their identity through methods like one-time passwords (OTPs), text verifications, or application-based verifications. For example, Google utilizes Android-based smartphones to send passcodes or authentication prompts to users during their initial login of the day.
In conclusion, as captchas are gradually phased out, the tech industry is exploring various avenues to maintain security and user convenience, and only time will tell how these alternatives will fare in the ever-evolving landscape of online security.
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